A New Direction
by shatteredXdream
Summary: Kat Taylor sets out on a road trip during summer vacation. After her car gets a flat on an empty road, she finds herself on the adventure of a lifetime.  Rated T for now...Includes WWE wrestlers ex. Undertaker, HBK, RKO, Cena, Edge, etc.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It was a cloudy afternoon, close to sunset, as Kat Taylor drove down the winding country road. The map was on the passenger seat, along with her purse. Her iPod was in the glove compartment with her cell phone. She had forgotten to charge both of them at the hotel last night. Her iPod was totally dead, and her cell phone battery was in the red.

According to the map, she was thirty miles from the next town. She was making better time than she had thought. She glanced up at the darkening sky. The clouds were taking on a dark gray shade. It looked like it was going to rain soon.

"Only I would volunteer to drive down to check out the vacation house," she said shaking her head. "Eh, easy come easy go. Worked out better for me anyway."

The week before, her family had gotten a message that their vacation house had flooded. Summer vacation had just started, and she was the only one still home in New York. The rest of her family was on a cruise.

When the message had come, her aunt had asked her to take the trip down to check out the damage and how the repairs were going. The house had only been purchased a year ago, and she had only been there once. Her aunt had offered to pay for her plane ticket, but she had volunteered to drive. She had time to kill after all. Two months before school started, and before she went back to work.

She had just finished her first year as a teacher, and was surprised by how much she missed the kids. She needed the distraction, and she needed something to do. A road trip seemed just the thing. She had always wanted to go on one, but she had never had the time. Her summers in college had been spent working. Besides, in college she couldn't have afforded to take a road trip anyway. Tuition had been insane.

One year of working full time, and she knew how to balance out her finances. She had made up her mind that after her first year of being a teacher, she would take the trip. It just so happened that the flooded house had given her an extra reason.

She had been staying in cheap hotels, ones that had no known name. One night she had stayed in a local bed and breakfast. She wasn't trying to get there very fast. She was taking her time, checking out different points of interest on the way. In essence, she was taking the long way. She was stopping in towns that were way off course, just because they had something she thought might prove interesting.

The trip down should have only taken her two days, but at the rate she was going it would probably take a week. She didn't care though. She was enjoying it. Who was it that said it's not the destination, but the journey to get to it?

She had slept in this morning at the motel. Last night she had eaten in a local bar, and the food hadn't sat very well with her. She had stopped in the pharmacy to pick up some medicine, and had waited until she was sure she was alright. On these roads, getting sick wasn't a good idea. It was miles between houses.

She had hopped into the car around eleven, and was about to get going when her aunt called. Her aunt told her that she had gotten a call that the repairs were going smoothly, that she could take her time getting to the house.

This made her smile more. She had hung up the phone and checked out her map. She had been planning to be at the house in the next two days, but knowing now that she could take her time, she readjusted her route.

Even though she was a New York girl, her family had taken quite a few road trips down through the South. Mostly they had been going to Disney World on these trips, but that wasn't the point. She had always loved the trips when she was little. Everybody was a lot nicer in the South.

She had looked at the map and decided that maybe she would finally make her way to a few places she had always wanted to see. She had always wanted to drive through Louisiana, and see New Orleans. Likewise, she had always wanted to go to Texas. She couldn't think why, but she had always wanted to. Now with the time to kill, she decided to take the highway through Texas, stop there, then head through New Orleans, and finally come back around to the vacation house in Georgia. She had plotted out her new route after her aunt had called that morning. That had been at eleven thirty.

Now it was getting dark. She had been on the road for a few hours. She was in Tennessee at the moment, going toward the border with Mississippi. The manager at the motel this morning had told her of a different road she could take, one that would get her through to Mississippi without much traffic. The man had been right. She had only seen two other cars the entire time. It was a lonely stretch of road.

She was now about twenty miles or so from the next town, and had made up her mind to stop there. She refused to make herself drive in the South once it had gotten dark, unless she was on a well lit highway. It was ridiculously dark on these roads at night, and she didn't want to risk getting lost.

She was going along smoothly when all of a sudden she heard a popping sound.

"You cannot be serious! I knew I shouldn't have tried to take this trip in a rental…" Kat said in annoyance. She jumped out of the car and instantly saw the problem. Her front left tire was completely flat.

"I'm in the middle of freakin' nowhere with a flat that I have no idea how to change. God I love my life," she mumbled to herself. "How can this get any worse?"

As if in answer to her question, thunder rumbled. She groaned in annoyance as she climbed back into the car to decide what to do.

"Well let's see, I can always try to walk to the next town," she thought out loud. "Of course it looks like it's going to pour and with my luck I'll get eaten by a bear." She laughed to herself. "I could try calling someone, but who the hell would I call here?"

A thought occurred to her. She still had her AAA card. Someone would answer right? She pulled out her almost dead phone, and made the call. Luckily a woman answered almost right away. She patched her through to the Tennessee branch, who said they'd send someone as soon as they could. They told her to see in the meanwhile if she could flag down someone who was heading toward town.

Kat hung up, and decided to try her luck. The clouds were darkening, and she waited almost twenty minutes before another car came down the road. The guy in the driver's seat looked normal enough.

"You having some car trouble there?" he asked. He looked to be in his very early twenties.

"Yea, I'm waiting for a tow truck. Any chance you might give me a lift to town?"

The guy jumped out of his car and went toward her. "I'll give you somethin' alright."

Instantly alarmed, she moved back, but he was too quick. In one quick movement he knocked her down, sending her headfirst into the hood of her car. He reached into the car, grabbed her purse and sped off.

It happened so fast, she didn't even get a plate number off of his car.

"So much for Southern hospitality," she mumbled, holding a hand to her head. "Bastard's lucky I didn't have my knife handy."

A light drizzle began to fall, and she got into the car to keep dry. It was dark now. She turned her hazard lights on, but turned her headlights off. No need to kill her car battery. It was soon pouring, but half an hour later the rain stopped. She opened the car door and was sitting sideways with her legs out, keeping an eye out for the tow truck.

She caught sight of her head in the mirror, and realized she had a nice cut across it. She gently began examining it, using the hood on her sweater to wipe off the dried blood. She looked up and saw a set of headlights coming down the road behind her, and hoped that it was the tow truck. It wasn't, but the driver seemed to see her hazard lights. In the wash of the headlights of their truck, she was clearly outlined. The truck slowed down, and pulled over beside her car. The passenger rolled down their window.

"You need some help?" It was dark, so it was hard for her to make out anything of what the person looked like, but the voice was male. It even sounded a little familiar. Her mind must be playing tricks on her.

"Yea, my car's got a flat. Another guy stopped to supposedly help me, but the bastard knocked me, grabbed my purse and sped off. Now I'm stuck here."

"You're kidding," said the man. The passenger turned to the driver. "Any objections?"

The driver spoke; his voice too seemed a little familiar. "It's fine by me. We can hook her car up and tow her."

"So you guys are gonna help me?"

"Well we can't leave you here. Turn your headlights back on, we're gonna need all the light we can get. We'll hook you up, and head out."

Kat turned her lights back on, and felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Got it?"

She turned around and looked up in surprise.

"I'm John by the way," he said.

"And I'm Randy," said another voice, coming around from the driver's side of the truck.

Kat blinked a few times. Was she seriously looking at John Cena and Randy Orton?

She shook her head smiling. "I must be hallucinating."

At this John grinned. "I'm guessing you know who we are then?"

She nodded. "Most definitely."

"It never fails John," said Randy with a smirk, "no matter where we go, we always find some crazy fan girl."

Kat looked up at him. "I'm Kat by the way." She raised an eyebrow. "Who said I was a crazy fan girl?"

Randy smirked again. "You know about us, so you must like us."

Now it was her turn to smile. "I never said you guys were my favorite wrestlers. I just said I knew who you were."

Cena grinned. "Ooo burn Randy. She shut your ass up."

"Oh shut up Cena, and help me hook up her car."

The two hooked up the car, while Kat watched. "What are you guys doing around here anyway?" she asked.

"We're on our way back to the town actually. We're staying there for a few days. We were supposed to do a show in Mississippi, but the plan fell through last minute. So we're kinda crashing here until management works it out," Cena answered.

"Just the two of you?"

"Nah a lot of the guys are there. The divas got off lucky. They were in Cali for some movie event. They were supposed to come down for the show, but when the deal fell through, they just stayed there. So it's just us guys. We're all staying at the motel."

Just then Randy turned to Cena. "Uh John, did you let him know we were coming back a little later than we thought?"

"No why?"

"Cuz' I think that's his truck coming up the road now…"

"Oh no…"

"What is it?" Kat asked.

"We're about to get it," said Randy.

The truck pulled over, and Cena went over to it. The driver was clearly annoyed, Kat could tell from his tone. John was trying to tell him what had happened, but the driver was having none of it. Randy went over to the truck as well, trying to calm the driver. The truck door opened and closed and the sound of footsteps came closer. John and Randy were walking in front of the man, shooting each other what seemed to be nervous glances.

"Now explain to me what the hell made you two stop in the middle of damn nowhere!"

Kat stepped up behind the man. "That would be me…" The man stopped arguing with Randy and John, and turned to look at her. She looked up in surprise once more. The Undertaker? You've got to be kidding, she thought.

She took another step closer to him, looking up a little nervously. He was a lot taller than she'd thought he'd be. "They stopped because of me. My car broke down, and I got robbed. They stopped to help me."

The Undertaker turned, casting suspicious looks at the two younger men. "Did they now?"

She nodded. "I'm sorry that you drove all the way out here to find them. Twenty miles is still twenty miles."

Taker turned back to her, looking her over. She was a mess. Her clothes were wet from the rain, and it looked like she had a cut on her head. He shook his head. "Alright you two, you're off the hook. Get her car hooked up, and let's get off this damned road."

Randy and John nodded quickly and then got to work hooking up Kat's car.

"You're coming with me," Taker said to her. "You don't need to be standing out in this miserable weather. I'll take you to town."

"You sure Taker? She can ride back with us," Randy said. He was nervous for her. Taker wasn't quite the easiest man to get along with. He had his moments.

"I'm sure," he said firmly. "She's coming with me." He turned to Kat. "Let's go."

**Author's Note: **So there you have the first chapter. Please review! =) More is on its way!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

She shrugged, and climbed into his truck. He started it and they began driving. "That's a nasty little cut on your head there."

"The guy that robbed me knocked me into the hood of the car. Bastard," she muttered.

"You alright?" He looked sideways at her.

"I'll be fine. It's not the worst jam I've ever gotten into. By the way, I'm Kat."

"Judging from the look you gave me before, you probably already know who I am. Most of the guys call me Taker, but you can call me Mark."

She smiled at him, and he returned it. She shook her head with a laugh. "What's so funny?" he asked.

"In all the time I've been watching wrestling, I've never seen you smile normally before. It's a little strange to see you out of character."

"I'll bet," he said. "I'm not that different from my character though."

"So you're dead?" she asked mischievously.

"Oh completely. I just use lightning to keep myself going. Every now and again I electrocute myself to stay alive."

She laughed and he grinned at her. "When I said that I wasn't that different from my character I meant that in terms of the way I see things."

"Such as?"

"In terms of respect. If you don't respect me, I don't respect you. Or how I act toward others. It's the little things. Obviously I'm not dead."

"No," she said, "you just have a taste for the morbid?"

He smiled again. "Not morbid, just dead."

"And they're just eons apart."

"They're _phenom_enally different."

"I never pictured the Undertaker as a smartass," she said laughing.

"I get that a lot. But look, we're at the motel." He turned the truck into a parking lot, and they got out.

She thought for a moment. "Oh no…my purse. How am I going to pay for the room?"

"Eh, leave that to me. Place is pretty cheap anyway. We'll work something out."

"Thanks," she said. "I feel bad putting you to all this trouble."

"Don't worry about it."

They walked toward the office of the motel. The whole place was pretty run down looking on the outside. The fluorescent signs outside did little to brighten the place up, not to mention the whole property was surrounding by tall trees.

"Looks kind of like the Bates Motel," Kat said looking around.

"Wait 'til you see the desk clerk. Man looks like a born serial killer."

"You're kidding?"

"You'll see for yourself."

They went inside, and were met by the desk clerk. Mark had a point. The guy looked like someone you would see on an episode of Criminal Minds.

"Ah, Mr. Calaway. Another guest?" he asked eyeing Kat up and down.

"Yea, you got any more rooms?"

"I'm afraid not, your guys took most of them. 3 are taken by other guests, and the other two have plumbing issues. She'll have to either stay in my office, or with one of you."

The way he said it, it looked like he was hoping for Kat to stay with him in the office.

"That's alright. She can stay with me."

"It's no trouble to put her in the office you know," he said eyeing Kat again.

"I'd rather have her where I can keep an eye on her. But thanks anyway. By the way, when you get the chance, tell the sheriff or whoever to stop by. Her purse got stolen by the road."

"Of course Mr. Calaway." The clerk gave Kat another lingering look, then went back to the papers on the desk.

The two walked out of the manager's office, and went to Taker's room. He was in room 6.

"Thank you," Kat said. "That guy gives me a bad case of the creeps. You sure you don't mind me staying in here?"

"Not at all. You're not gonna take up much space anyway. At least, not in comparison to me."

Kat looked up at him shaking her head. "I really didn't think you'd be this tall in person."

"I get that a lot too," he said with another smile. "Why don't you go take a shower and get out of those wet clothes before you get sick?"

She nodded, and then a thought occurred to her. "Ah damned, I left all my clothes in the car."

Taker thought for a moment. "You can wear one of my t-shirts for now. I'll have Randy bring your bags in here."

He went to the dresser and tossed one of his shirts to her. It was a black t-shirt, with a flaming skull on the front. She caught it, and then went into the bathroom.

She ran the water until it was hot, and jumped into the shower. She washed her hair, feeling much better as the water ran over her skin. She still couldn't believe she was actually sharing a room with the Undertaker. She was thankful that he was letting her stay with him. That desk clerk really did give her the creeps. There was something not quite right about him.

She was thankful for all of it. She had no purse, no money, no I.D. She was lucky that he was being as nice as he was. Another person might have left her to find her own way in town.

She dried off, and got dressed again, pulling his shirt over her head. It was long for her, like a short dress. When she came out of the bathroom, Taker had to repress a laugh. She was floating in his shirt.

"Bit big on you," he said.

She gave him a smile. "I'm glad for it anyway."

She sat down on the edge of the bed, and began to towel dry her wet hair. He looked at her for a second, and then tossed her a hairbrush from the dresser.

"Better get those knots out. I learned a long time ago that dry hair plus knots equals a whole lot of cursing."

She grinned, picking up the brush. She started combing through her wet hair, when she accidently ran the brush over the cut on her head.

"Goddamn!" she exclaimed.

"You should put something on that," he said coming over to her.

"I usually have band-aids and stuff with me, but that was all in my purse."

Taker thought for a moment. "I have rubbing alcohol, but it's going to burn."

"It'll have to do."

He went into the bathroom, and reemerged with the bottle. He poured it over a tissue and handed it to her.

She gently rubbed it on, scowling as the alcohol went into the cut.

"That should do it."

"I think I'll go take a shower. If the door knocks, it's probably gonna be Orton or Cena."

She nodded and he went into the bathroom. Five minutes later there was a knock on the door. She opened the door to find both Randy Orton and John Cena. Randy was holding one of her bags that had been in the trunk. She noticed that it was raining again, and both of the guys were all wet.

"Goddamn rain," Orton cursed as he stepped into the room.

Cena shook his head. "Your car's at the mechanic's. He said he'd probably get around to looking at it in the morning."

Orton looked around. "Where's Taker?"

"He just went into the shower," she said.

"Oh. Nice shirt by the way," he said grinning. "Guess you and the Deadman hit it off?"

Cena smacked the back of his head. "Shut up Randy. You want him to hear you?"

"Good point man."

The two sat down on the bed. Kat kneeled down and opened the bag that Randy had brought in. She pulled out a pair of pajama pants and pulled them on under the t-shirt.

"Feeling a bit drafty?" Randy asked mischievously, coming over to her.

She gave him a wry smile. "And if I am?" she asked, turning to face him.

"Then you should let someone warm you up," he returned with a smirk.

She moved close to him, looking up. "When you find someone who can do that, let me know." She grinned at him.

Cena burst out laughing at Randy's expression. "Oh God, I think I love you. You shut him up twice in less than 2 hours. Can you say burn?"

Kat grinned. "Aw did I hurt your feelings Mr. Orton?"

Randy shot her a look, which made Cena laugh harder. "Oh I think me and you are gonna get along."

Kat went and sat down on the bed next to John, who was still fighting back laughter. Randy shot him a nasty look.

"Oh stop. I'm sorry. I'm just used to your type."

"Yea? And what type is that?" Randy asked her.

"The good looking guy that thinks he can get whatever he wants. The kind that thinks he can make any girl trip with a single look." She shrugged.

"So you think I'm good looking?" he asked, giving her another mischievous smile.

She rolled her eyes and smiled, shaking her head. "Hopeless."

She turned to Cena. "Is he always like this?"

"Pretty much. Half the time I just wanna smack him."

Kat laughed.

"Yea John? But then I'd RKO your ass."

"Let's change the subject shall we?" Cena said, eyeing Randy. "Before Mr. Anger Management tries to kill me."

Randy grinned. "That's what I thought."

"So what are you doing out here anyway? You don't exactly look like the backwoods Southern type," Cena asked, still keeping an eye on Randy.

"I'm actually on a road trip."

"Road trip huh? Where're you going?"

"I was heading toward Texas, then down to New Orleans. Then I was going to double back around and head to Georgia. My family has a vacation house there that's being repaired."

"So you're going to Texas? Any reason?"

"I don't really know. I've always wanted to go there."

"Where are you from anyway?" asked Randy.

"I'm from New York actually," she said with a smile.

Cena grinned. "That explains why you can shut him up with no problem."

"I guess so," she said laughing again.

"You must have taken a lot of vacation to be able to take such a long road trip."

"I'm off for the summer actually. I'm a teacher, so I'm off just like the kids are."

"Ohhhh. Bet you didn't expect this to happen huh?"

"Not at all. What are the odds of meeting WWE wrestlers on a road trip? It's pretty awesome."

The two grinned. "We get that a lot."

"I'll bet you do. You two must have fan girls chasing you like crazy."

"You have no idea. Gets kinda creepy every now and again."

"You should tell her about your stalker John," Randy said teasingly.

Cena shuddered. "Not that again. That woman was scary as hell."

Randy laughed, and even Kat couldn't help laughing a little. The thought of Cena being scared of a fan girl was too much.

"Well I see you're getting along with these two idiots," said Taker, coming out of the bathroom.

Randy and John jumped. "Hey Deadman," Randy said with a nervous smile.

"Oh geez, calm down Orton. You look like I'm gonna slam you through a table or something."

"Wouldn't be the first time," Cena said snickering.

Taker shot him a look and Cena stopped.

"Hey, aren't we supposed to go eat with the other guys? I know it's raining, but if we don't show, they might start to worry," Randy said glancing at the time on the alarm clock.

Taker looked at the clock. "Damn you're right. The diner at the end of the road right? We'll meet you there."

Cena and Orton left, leaving Taker and Kat in the room. "Well?" he said.

"Well?" she asked confusedly.

"Are you going to put a jacket and shoes on or what?"

"I'm coming too?"

"Unless you want to stay alone with the desk clerk?"

"Oh god! Give me five minutes."

He nodded. "I'm going to go start up the truck."

He left and Kat went over to the bag of clothes. She quickly stripped out of her pajama bottoms and his t-shirt. She pulled on a pair of jeans, and her own black t-shirt. She grabbed a hoodie from the bag and zipped it up. She quickly put her sneakers back on and opened the door. It was pouring. She pulled her hood up, and was about to step out into the rain when Taker pulled up in the truck. She hopped in, happy that she hadn't had to walk out in the pouring rain.

"Thanks for pulling up. This rain is crazy."

"Don't mention it."

Ten minutes later, they pulled up outside the diner. He parked the truck as close as possible, so they wouldn't get too wet.

"So who exactly is going to be here?" she asked curiously.

"No one that you wouldn't recognize I'm sure," he said with a smile.

She put her hood back on, and they ran toward the front door of the diner. Once they made it in, they heard a voice call from the back. "Well it's about damn time."

**.**

**.**

**Author's Note:** So here's the second chapter. Hope you like! Review please! =) There's more on its way.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Eh shut up," Taker said, walking toward the voice. He was walking in front of Kat. She had no idea who or what to expect. With him in front of her, she couldn't see anything.

"Randy tells me there's a girl sharing your room with you Deadman." The voice was mischievous, and sounded familiar.

"Once again, shut your mouth, before I shut it for you."

"Touchy aren't we?"

Taker mumbled, and then stepped aside, revealing who was sitting at the table.

"Oh she's pretty Taker, a little too sweet looking for you though."

"Trust me," Kat said, "looks can be deceiving." She grinned at the person that had spoken.

"Do you know who I am doll face?"

"Well I know that you're one of my favorite wrestlers." She smiled at him.

"Oh I like her! Hun, you can come sit next to me. I'm a lot more fun than Taker is anyway."

She went and sat, still not believing that she was sitting next to Shawn Michaels.

"So Randy said your name was Kat?" he asked.

"Kat Taylor, yea." She looked around the table, now noticing the group of wrestlers sitting before her.

"Well let's see then," he said gesturing around the table. "Welcome to our happy little dinner."

Kat waved. "Hi guys."

"There's a couple other guys at the motel, but they didn't feel like coming to dinner," John added.

"You mean they were too scared of Taker to come to dinner," Randy said.

At this Cena grinned. "Like you're not?"

"I'm here aren't I?"

Cena shrugged. "I dunno Randy. You look pretty freaked out whenever he's around."

Randy looked at Taker, who was clearly trying not to laugh. "Oh shut up John!"

"Now now girls," Shawn said smiling, "we have a guest, why don't you two try and behave?"

Kat laughed and Shawn looked at her. "Those are some scary looking girls."

At this, the rest of the table started to laugh. Randy shot Ted and Cody a nasty look, and the two of them tried to rein in their laughter.

The waitress came, and everyone placed their orders. The conversation at the table soon turned to wrestling.

"So you said I was one of your favorite wrestlers?" Shawn asked grinning.

Randy rolled his eyes. "You look a little skeptical over there Randy," Kat said, looking over at him.

"Randy just can't believe that any woman would pick me over him," Shawn said shaking his head.

"Well he should believe it. I'd pick you over him any day."

The rest of the table started to laugh again. "You got something against him?" Cena asked laughing. "You've been shutting him up since we met."

Kat looked over at Randy and laughed. "Nah, I'm just playing with him. He's one of my favorites too."

Randy looked over at her and smirked.

"Based on wrestling moves smartass. Don't get any ideas."

"You like the way I fight?" he asked.

She nodded. "The RKO is my favorite finisher."

"Maybe if you're nice to me I'll teach it to you. Bet it would scare the hell outta those kids you teach," he said laughing.

"I'll bet it would. It would be pretty funny though."

"So you like me and Randy?" Shawn asked. "Who else?"

"Well, everyone sitting at the table, just in varying degrees," she said smiling at the other guys.

"No number one favorite?" Randy asked mischievously.

"Based on what?" she returned, with a wicked grin.

Randy raised an eyebrow. "And you teach elementary school?"

"Your point?" she answered grinning.

He held up his hands and shook his head. "Anybody else wanna comment?"

"I think what Randy's asking you is who's your real favorite?" Edge said.

"And like I said, based on what?"

Shawn looked at her. "Alright let's break it down. Based on fighting moves?"

"That's tough," she said thinking. "It's pretty close between him and the Deadman, but I guess that's Randy again."

Randy grinned at her and she rolled her eyes.

"And not based on fighting moves?" Randy asked.

"Based on what then? Personal taste?" she asked mischievously.

"Interesting way to put it, but yea."

"Sorry, I can't pick. You all have your strong points," she said looking around the table.

The rest of the guys were either smiling or grinning. She looked away. "Gosh it's getting warm in here."

"Is it?" asked Edge, smirking at her.

"Oh leave her alone," Taker said.

"It's ok. I never said I minded," she replied. This earned her another smirk from Edge.

"So?" asked Randy. "Who's your favorite?"

"My favorite overall? That would be the Deadman," she said grinning.

At this Randy looked at John. "You just get a cold chill man?"

"Yea…a little!"

Randy turned back to her. "You like him? Out of any of us?"

"He's my favorite wrestler, so what?"

She looked at Taker and he gave her a smile.

Randy shook his head. "I dunno. The more I see her with Taker, the more freaked out I get. It's getting a little scary."

"You said it man," chimed in John.

"Both of you shut up and eat your food," Taker said, giving the two of them a glare.

Kat laughed again. "Are they always this scared of you Mark?"

"Pretty much," Taker answered, as the waitress came and placed their food on the table.

Randy blinked. "Did you just call him Mark?"

"Yea why?"

"You're on a first name basis with the Undertaker. I for one, am a little scared."

"None of you call him by his name?"

Edge looked at her. "Not really."

"Oh. Well I typically call people by what they introduce themselves to me as. So he's Mark." She shrugged, and popped a French fry in her mouth.

"So if I introduced myself to you as Mr. Hot, that's what you'd call me?" asked Randy mischievously.

"Nope sorry, you'd still be Randy," she said shaking her head with a smile.

"How about if I introduced myself to you as The Sexy Boy?" asked Shawn. "Would you call me that?"

Kat grinned. "Sure I would."

"But that's not his name," Randy said.

"No, but it's a reality. He is a sexy boy. So, I can call him that. You on the other hand are not Mr. Hot." She smiled at Shawn, who laughed.

"You know something hun? I think I'm gonna have to keep you around. It's not every day I find a woman that doesn't like Randy."

"Yea? So should I call you Shawn or Sexy Boy?" she asked mischievously.

"That's up to you doll."

"I'll stick with Shawn for now." She smiled at him. She looked around the table. "What about the rest of you guys?"

"What do you mean?" asked Randy.

"I mean what do you guys want me to call you? Obviously you're Randy, and he's John." She turned to Edge. "What should I call you?"

"Adam's fine," he answered with another teasing smirk.

She shook her head with a smile. "How about you?" she asked turning to Ted DiBiase.

"Most people go with Ted. Randy and Cody call me Teddy though. That's fine too."

"Teddy then," she said smiling. "So I guess I can call you Cody?" she asked looking at Cody Rhodes.

"Yea, Cody, or Code for short."

She nodded at him, and popped another French fry in her mouth.

"So how did you end up on this lonely stretch?" Ted asked. "It's not exactly a tourist area."

"I'm on a road trip," she answered. "I was heading toward Texas when my car got a flat."

"I figured. You don't look like you're from around here."

"No?"

"No. Plus you're missing the accent," Ted added.

She grinned. "Yea. I'm not even close to around here. Didn't John and Randy mention I was from New York?"

"They left out that part," Cody said. "They just said you were by the side of the road and they stopped to help you. Then Taker came and got pissed off, and you went with him. Randy did say that you were a teacher though."

"Yea that's the general idea. When the car got a flat I had to call for a tow truck. Some guy stopped by the side to help me I thought, but the bastard robbed me instead." She shook her head in annoyance.

"That's terrible," Cody said.

"It kinda got me by surprise. I would have expected something like that at home maybe, but out here? It threw me off. Plus I didn't expect him to knock me into the hood."

"Is that how you got that cut?" Shawn asked looking at her.

She nodded. "Yea. If I ever catch that bastard he's gonna have worse."

"A New Yorker with a temper? How shocking!" Shawn said with a grin. "Although I don't know if I'd want to be around for that."

Kat laughed. "I don't think anybody would want to be around for that. I can have a pretty nasty temper when I want to."

"No kidding?" Shawn said.

She nodded. "But that's another story. So when are you guys supposed to leave this lovely little town?"

"Oh don't get me started. There's nothing lovely about this godforsaken place," Edge said shaking his head.

She laughed. "You didn't catch the sarcasm on that huh? One look at the clerk at the motel could tell you there's something wrong with this place."

"That guy looks like somebody you'd see on the six o' clock news. I can hear the story now. _Breaking news:_ _Local desk clerk murders guests at motel. Bodies still missing…_ I swear there's something not right with that guy. He's got that crazy look, kinda like Cena's stalker," Edge added with a grin.

John shot him a look. "Shut up man. That chick was freaking scary."

Kat looked at him curiously. "That bad?"

"No joke. She followed me everywhere. Every show I went to, she'd be in the audience, the parking lot, backstage. It was scary as hell. Plus she left me all these sick notes. It was just…"

"Disturbing?" Kat offered.

"Yea! One day Randy finally told her to back off or he'd get the cops involved. I haven't seen her since."

"You still owe me for that one John," Randy said with a grin. "I should've let her get you."

John looked freaked out thinking about his stalker, and it was putting the rest of the table off ease. He repressed a shudder. "Hell no. God knows what she would've done with me."

"I can think of a couple things," Kat said playfully, trying to change the mood.

That snapped Cena back to normal. "Really? Like what?" he asked with a grin.

She smirked. "That's for me to know."

"And for me to find out?"

She shrugged. "Maybe," she answered with a mischievous smile.

"I think I like her even more," John said to Randy. "Not only does she shut you up, but she's got my mind turning." He grinned.

"Alright, that's enough," Taker said shaking his head. "Look, the waitress is coming back. Anybody getting dessert?"

"I will if somebody else will," Ted answered.

"I'm gonna have ice cream," Cody said.

"You're such a five year old Code," Randy said laughing.

"Leave him alone Randy. What kind are you getting Cody?" Edge asked.

"Chocolate, of course!"

Edge shook his head. "Anybody wanna share a banana split?"

The rest of the guys shook their heads.

"I'm getting pie," Ted returned. "You have your banana split."

"It's for two," Edge answered. "Somebody has to share with me. How about you?" he asked Kat.

"Well…"

"Aw come on. I have to share with somebody. And the rest of them are no fun."

"Well, ok then," she said shrugging.

Taker began rubbing his temples. "Look guys, I'm gonna head back to the motel. My head's killing me all of a sudden." He turned to Kat. "You can come back with one of them. I'm gonna go take an aspirin or something."

"Hold up Deadman. I'm coming with you," Shawn said. "I think I ate too many French fries."

Taker pulled out his wallet, and handed some money to Randy. "Use it to pay for dinner. Tonight's on me. Alright Shawn, let's go."

The two left the diner, leaving the others sitting at the table.

**.**

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**Author's Note: **Hope you like it & thanks for the reviews! More's on its way soon. Let me know what you think so far! =)


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The waitress came and took their orders, and five minutes later she brought dessert to the table.

"Come sit next to me," Edge told Kat. "Before we drip ice cream all over the table."

Kat moved and switched seats with John. She was now at the end of the booth next to Edge.

"It's huge," he said looking at the dessert. "I'm glad we're sharing."

Fifteen minutes later, the banana split was only half gone.

"No more for me," Kat said shaking her head. "It's too much."

"Aw come on. You can't leave me with the rest." Edge looked around at the other guys. "Anybody?"

"Sorry man, that's all on you. We're all stuffed," John answered.

Edge shrugged. "Suit yourselves," he replied sticking another spoonful in his mouth.

A few spoons later, even he couldn't eat any more. He put his spoon down and sat back. Kat looked at him and laughed.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"You've got ice cream on your face," she said smiling.

"I do?"

"Yea," she said grabbing a tissue. "Right there." She wiped it off the corner of his mouth.

He gave her a teasing smile. "Thanks."

A light blush crept into her face. "Any time."

Randy looked at her and shook his head. "Amazing," he said.

She turned. "What?"

"It's amazing. I tease you, you shut me up. He does it, and you turn pink. Unbelievable," he said shaking his head with a laugh and a look of disbelief.

Kat smiled back. "Maybe it's because he's Rated R, and you're…hmmm…PG-13?" she asked mischievously.

The rest of the table began to laugh.

"Now that's priceless," Ted said looking at Randy.

"Come on Randy, you walked into that," John said.

"Alright, alright. I walked into that. I swear, I'm starting to think you're a girl version of John," Randy said looking at Kat. "I can't believe you just called me PG-13."

She grinned at him. "I call 'em as I see 'em."

"Yea yea. You know what though, I think you might have some ice cream on your face too," he said sliding closer to her.

"I do?" she asked wiping her lips. "Where?"

"Right…there!" he said taking ice cream and smearing it on her cheek. "That's for that PG-13 crack," he said laughing at her surprised face.

She touched her cheek with her fingertips. "That wasn't very nice you know." She wiped the ice cream off with her napkin, not taking her eyes off him. "I might have to teach you a lesson for that."

"Yea? You and what army?"

"Oh I'm not going to get you now, you're ready for it. I'll get you when you least expect it," she said with a wicked smile.

"Oooo I'm terrified!" he said with a grin.

"I dunno Randy," John said. "She looks like she's up to something."

"Whatever she's gonna do, it can't be worse than having Taker break my ass can it?"

"Good point," John said laughing.

"Well anyway, we should head back to the motel. That waitress is giving us the evil eye," Randy said looking over at the counter.

Randy left money on the table, and they headed out into the parking lot.

"Hey are we all going to fit?" Cody asked.

"Damn it. I forgot that Taker took the other truck when he went with Shawn. It's gonna be a tight squeeze, but we'll manage. It's not that far," John said. "Hope you guys don't mind getting cozy."

Cena jumped into the driver's seat, with Randy in the passenger's seat.

"I'm sitting in the middle row. I don't like the back," Cody said. "Teddy can sit next to me. Hold on a sec guys. I forgot my wallet by the table. I'll be back in a sec."

"I guess that puts me and you in the back huh?" Edge said turning to Kat.

"I guess so."

As the two climbed into the back, they noticed a large box on the seat.

"Hey John, what's with the box?" Edge asked.

"No idea man. This rental's got some of the tech stuff in it; it's probably wires."

"Oh, ok," Edge said climbing into the back. Kat climbed in behind him.

"Kind of a tight squeeze back here," she said sitting down.

"Yea, I don't want to try anything with that box. Who knows what's in it. But like John said, we'll just have to get cozy."

She shook her head with a smile. "When he said that I don't think he meant for me to be pasted up against you."

He shrugged with a mischievous grin. "I thought you said you didn't mind me?"

"When did I say that?"

"When Taker was here. He told me to leave you alone, and you said you didn't mind," he said, still grinning.

"Oh…"

"Yea, oh. I could let you sit in the back with Teddy instead, if you want."

"It's ok. No sense in moving now."

His grin widened a little. "Then I guess you're stuck with me."

"I guess so," she said with a smile. "I guess it could be worse. I could be stuck in the back with Mr. PG-13."

Edge laughed, and Randy turned from the front.

"I heard that you know."

"No offense Randy," she said smiling.

"Yea yea." Randy turned looking at the diner. "Goddamn what's taking Cody so long?"

"You want me to go check?" Ted asked.

"Go ahead. Maybe he can't find his wallet."

"Alright." Ted opened the door, letting in a cold blast of air. He slid out and went back into the diner.

Kat shivered. "I should have worn a thicker sweater."

"Cold?" Edge asked.

"Yea. I've got goose bumps."

He moved and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. She tensed at the sudden movement.

"Relax. We don't want you catching a cold."

She relaxed and he tightened his arm around her. He looked at her mischievously.

He leaned his head close to her and dropped his voice to a whisper. "You know," he said with a teasing smirk, "I could show you what Rated R really means."

Her body tensed up again and he laughed. "I'm sorry, that was too easy. I didn't mean to make you jump."

"Well I'll tell you one thing."

"What's that?" he asked.

"I'm not cold anymore."

He grinned. "Then I accomplished my goal."

"I'll bet," she said shaking her head.

"What's going on back there?" Randy asked turning around again.

"Oh nothing," Edge said grinning. "I'm just warming up our cold companion."

"Yea? I'll put on the heat then. I don't need you warming up anybody in the rental car," John said turning. "Last time I was the one that had to do the cleaning."

"You? I'm the one that had to save his ass from Taker!" Randy said.

Kat turned to Edge. "I see your Rated R reputation is warranted."

He smirked and dropped his voice back to a whisper. "In more ways than one."

She raised an eyebrow. "Yea? I'll take your word on it."

"No real life example?" he asked innocently.

"Sorry Goldilocks," she said with a grin.

"Too bad. Maybe you'll change your mind," he said teasingly.

"Alright that's enough back there. You're giving me hives up here," Randy said over his shoulder.

Edge grinned. A second later, the car door opened, and Ted and Cody got back in.

"Unbelievable," Ted snapped.

"You're telling me!" Cody returned.

"What's the matter guys?" Randy asked.

"I went to get my wallet, and the waitress wouldn't let me have it."

"You're kidding!" John said.

"No. I told her that I left it on the table, that it was mine. She said that once you walk out the door, it's their property."

"I even tried to get it. She said if I laid a hand on her, she'd call the cops and have me locked up for beating a woman. Isn't that insane?" Ted said in annoyance.

"Why I oughta…" Randy snapped.

"Easy Randy," Cody said. "If we come back tomorrow, I'll try to reason with her. No sense in you going in there and killing somebody. If anything, I'll ask Taker to get it."

"Alright Code, if that's how you want it. Un-freaking-believable," he said angrily.

"That's not right," Kat said. "Technically that's stealing."

"Yea," said John. "Crazy ass people."

"Let's just go back to the motel guys. I'll work it out in the morning," Cody said shaking his head.

They drove back to the motel and pulled into the parking lot. Ted and Cody went to their room.

"Night guys," they called as they went in.

"I guess we should all head in then?" John asked.

"Wait a minute, do you have a key to Taker's room?" Randy asked turning to Kat.

"No, I didn't think of asking him for it."

"So how're you gonna get in? Waking up Taker is probably not the brightest idea. He's not the worst guy when he's awake, but waking him up from a dead sleep is just asking for trouble," Randy said.

"So what should I do?" she asked. "The only other place is with the desk clerk, and I'd rather sleep in the car than in there."

"Why don't you come in our room?" Randy asked. "It's better than waking up Taker. I'll sleep in the bed with John, and you can sleep in mine."

"I don't want to put you out of your bed Randy. Besides, I don't think you and John are going to fit in the same bed together," she said with a smile.

"You could sleep in my room," Edge offered.

"Your room?" she asked giving him a look.

"Geez I'm not going to assault you. I'm just saying I have my room to myself. There's space. At least then you wouldn't be putting out Randy or John."

"Well…"

"Look, I promise I won't do anything stupid. Besides, if I did, Taker would personally behead me. So?"

"Alright," she said shrugging. "It's the only thing that makes sense."

"Good. Let's go then. Bye guys," he said to Randy and John.

"Night man," John said.

"Night," Randy said as he and John went into their room. "Oh and Adam," he said turning before he closed the door.

"Yea?"

"Behave yourself."

"Scout's honor," he said grinning.

Randy closed the door, and Edge and Kat walked toward his room.

"You sure you don't mind?" Kat asked as they walked.

"No, I don't mind. Like you pointed out before, there's something not right about that desk clerk. I wouldn't want anybody staying in there with him."

"Yea, he is pretty freaky looking," she said remembering.

"Yea, and besides, I'm much better company," he said smiling mischievously. He opened the door, and they went into the room.

Looking at the room, Kat noticed, that like Taker's room, there was only one bed. It was king sized, but it was still only one.

"Funny, you didn't mention there was only one bed."

"Must have slipped my mind," he said innocently.

She rolled her eyes and sat down on the end of the bed. "Ah shoot," she said out loud, "I left all my clothes in Mark's room."

"It's ok, you can borrow a shirt," he said going over to the dresser. He opened it and pulled out a t-shirt. "This one's pretty long. I got it when we were on tour in Europe. They cut things weird."

"Thanks," she said taking it from him.

He went into the bathroom to take a shower. Kat quickly pulled off her shirt and jeans, and put on his shirt. He was right; it was ridiculously long. It was even longer than Taker's had been, and Taker was taller than he was.

She climbed into the bed, and pulled the covers over her. She couldn't believe she was in his room. Of all the people, she thought to herself.

Fifteen minutes later, Edge came out of the bathroom wearing pajamas pants and no shirt. He was towel drying his hair.

He looked at her as he folded the towel and put it on the chair. "I usually sleep without my shirt, but if it bothers you, I'll wear it."

She shook her head. "It's fine. You wrestle without a shirt anyway, so it's not much difference. Besides it's your room."

"So it's my rules?" he asked mischievously.

"I guess so…"

"So if I wanted to sleep naked you wouldn't have a problem?" he said wickedly.

"Hmmm I thought Randy asked you to behave?" she said raising an eyebrow.

"Yea? So?"

"And you said Scout's honor."

He grinned. "I was never a Boy Scout."

She ran a hand over her face. "Oh brother."

"Relax," he said sliding into the opposite side of the bed. "I'm just messing with you. There are better odds of the sky falling down than there are for me to take advantage of somebody."

"I'm glad," she said with a smile.

"Of course," he added, "me taking advantage of someone that doesn't mind is something completely different."

"Of course," she said shaking her head and rolling her eyes. "Well anyway, goodnight and thank you for letting me sleep in here."

"I'll get you yet," he said with a grin.

"If you say so," she said yawning.

Within minutes she was fast asleep, and Edge lay there looking at her for a moment. He laughed to himself. She was something else, he thought. A real challenge. And he liked challenges. Of course, he thought to himself, if she was really dead set against him, he wouldn't press. But then he remembered her blushing, and he smirked. If nothing else, he was going to have fun teasing her. This was going to be interesting.

**.**

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**Author's Note:** Hope you like! XOXO to all my reviewers, and thanks to everybody who added this story to one of their lists! Let me know what you think so far! I'll have Chapter 5 up soon. =)


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Kat turned in her sleep. _I've gotta stop staying at cheap places_, she thought in her sleep. _These pillows are ridiculous. _Slowly, as she regained consciousness and slipped out of her dream, she remembered that what had happened the previous day. She recalled that she was sharing a room with Edge.

She turned again, finding her head a comfortable spot, wanting to sink back down into sleep. Her pillow felt very strange, and she cracked her eyes open a bit to see why. It was then that she realized her head wasn't on a pillow at all. She was tangled up in Edge's arms, her head resting on his chest.

Instantly her eyes popped open. She gently tried to free herself from his grip, but found that she was trapped in his arms. She turned her head and looked up at his face. He looked like he was fast asleep.

_Great,_ she thought, _how am I going to get loose without waking him up?_ She twisted again, hoping his grip would slacken as she moved. Instead, his grip only tightened. She turned her head and looked up at his face again. Was there a smile tugging at his lips? Her mind must be playing tricks on her.

She sighed and turned her head back, resting it on his chest again. She would just have to wait for him to let go.

"You know if you wanted me to let go, you could have asked."

Immediately her head turned back around. He was awake and smirking. He looked down at her, his voice full of mischief. "Something wrong?"

"You…you were awake the whole time?" she asked in shock.

He grinned in response. "The amount of moving around you did could wake the dead."

"I…oh boy…umm…well could you at least let go of me?"

"Now why would I do that?" he asked innocently.

"You said if I wanted you to let go, to ask. So I'm asking," she returned.

"Hmmm," he said pretending to think hard, "I think I'm too comfortable to let go."

"Then I guess I'll have to convince you."

"Oh really? How're you going to do that?" he said still smirking.

"I guess I'll just have to coerce you into letting me go," she said smirking back at him, drawing herself closer.

He raised an eyebrow at her tone. His grip slowly began to slacken, and the second it did, she pulled herself free.

"Touché," he said. "I didn't expect that."

She smiled at him. "That was plan A. If that hadn't worked, I would have gone to plan B."

"Yea? What's plan B?"

"Plan B is me kneeing and or elbowing you and getting away," she said still smiling sweetly.

"Suddenly I'm glad you went for plan A…"

"I thought you might be." She grinned, and he got up from the bed. He stretched and headed toward the bathroom.

"I'm going to take a shower. We're supposed to have breakfast with the guys. I think Cody wants to try to get his wallet back at the diner."

She nodded and he grabbed some clothes from the dresser. He went into the bathroom and a few minutes later she heard water running. She shook her head as she thought about him. He had some nerve, she said to herself with a smile. She wasn't too surprised though. She knew he was a tease. She was laying in bed when there was a knock on the door.

"Um, come in?"

The door opened, and Randy and Ted walked in. "Morning," Randy said. "I brought some of your clothes outta Taker's room. I gotta tell you, he wasn't too happy that you didn't come back last night."

"No?"

"No. I didn't mention that you stayed in here with Adam, or he probably would've hit the roof."

"Where is he now?"

"He said something about picking up some stuff in town," Ted answered. "Not really sure what."

"Did you sleep ok?" Randy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yea, why wouldn't I?" she said her tone showing a little confusion. She caught his meaningful look and then understood. "You mean did he behave himself like you asked? Yea, he did. No worries."

"Good. God knows if he did anything stupid, the rest of the guys would be digging a grave. Well anyway, take your clothes. We'll see you at the diner in a while. Hopefully that waitress doesn't give Cody a hard time again. Cuz' if she does, things are gonna get ugly."

He walked out, and Ted rolled his eyes. "So says Mr. Anger Management. I swear I'm going to have to bail his ass out of jail one day for assaulting somebody. See you later." He walked out after Randy.

Kat got up and picked up the clothes Randy had left. He had found a pair of shorts in the bag and a t-shirt and brought those. It must be warm outside, she thought.

A few minutes later, Edge came out of the bathroom. "Your turn," he said smiling. "Who was at the door before?"

"It was Randy and Ted. Randy came to bring me some clothes."

"Oh, too bad. I kinda like the look of you in my shirt," he said with a hint of a smirk.

She shook her head. "You're another hopeless one. I think I'll go shower now."

Fifteen minutes later she was done taking a shower. The shorts he had brought her had a compact and a lip gloss in the pocket. She must have put them in there when she packed. She powdered her face lightly, and put on a little lip gloss. She looked in the mirror. "Much better than last night," she said to herself. She came out of the bathroom after she had fixed her hair.

"Well don't you look much better," Edge said teasingly.

She smiled. "Not being stuck out in the rain by the road helps. That plus a good night's sleep. Of course I wasn't too crazy about the waking up part," she added wryly.

He grinned. "Could have fooled me."

She rolled her eyes with another smile. "Uh huh."

"You'll see. I'll get you yet."

"Keep telling yourself that Goldilocks."

She was going to be more of a challenge than he thought. This called for an up in his game. But that could wait.

He moved toward the door. "Ready to go watch Randy kill a waitress?" he asked.

"Oh God. Let's hope this goes peacefully," she said.

"With Randy? I doubt that."

"Maybe Mark will get the wallet back."

"Maybe. I wonder how he was when he realized you didn't come back last night."

"Randy said he wasn't very happy about it. Of course Randy also said that he didn't tell Mark that I was with you. Somehow I have the feeling that if he had, Mark would have been more than unhappy."

"Yea…Taker and me have had our share. I mean, we get along well enough, but I still wouldn't want to piss the man off. I get the distinct feeling he doesn't trust me very much. Well, at least in terms of the opposite sex."

"Now I wonder why he wouldn't trust you?" she asked sarcastically.

Edge gave her a half smile. "Let's go, before Randy punts me for not showing up."

They walked outside and were met by John. "You guys heading to the diner?" he asked.

"Yea. Where is everybody?"

"Randy, Ted and Cody already left. I think Taker is meeting us there."

The three hopped into John's rental, and headed toward the diner. When they got there, they saw two other trucks in the parking lot. The other guys were already there. They went in, and found them sitting at the same table as the night before.

"See Taker, I told you she was still in one piece," Randy said.

Mark looked almost relieved when they sat down. Kat slid into the booth and sat next to him. "I'm sorry I didn't come back last night. I didn't want to wake you up."

He looked at her. "It's fine. I was just a little worried when I didn't see you this morning. I thought maybe you had gone with the desk clerk. And God knows that man could scare Lucifer himself."

She laughed. "He is pretty scary."

"Whose room did you stay in anyway?"

"I stayed with Adam," she answered.

Instantly Taker's body language changed. His voice dropped, and his tone turned cold. He met Edge with an icy look. "I hope you didn't do anything stupid."

The rest of the table looked nervous with Taker's demeanor.

"Relax Deadman," Edge said a little uneasily. "I didn't do anything. Ask her."

Taker turned to Kat, his expression softening a little. He gave her a questioning look.

"He didn't," she said shaking her head.

"Good. Then I don't need to break his ass." His posture relaxed and his expression went back to normal. The rest of the table seemed to relax too.

The waitress came and took their orders. It wasn't the same waitress from yesterday. This one was different. She was older, and a little plumper. There was a much more pleasant air about her.

"Well I've got your orders. Can I get anybody some coffee?" she asked.

"Why don't you bring a pot? I think we're gonna need it," Randy said.

"Sure thing darlin'. You want decaf or regular?"

"Decaf. We don't need anybody bouncing off the walls."

"Sure." She went to walk away when Kat stopped her.

"Um I'm sorry, if you could please bring me some regular? I'm not much for decaf."

"Sure thing hun. I'll be back in a few. The coffee's still brewing." She walked off.

"No decaf?" Randy asked.

"Sorry," Kat said smiling. "I'll be the first to admit that I'm a caffeine addict."

"Admitting it is the first step overcoming your problem," Ted said grinning.

Kat laughed. "That's one vice I don't think I'll be giving up anytime soon."

"Is it the coffee or the caffeine you like?"

"The coffee. I don't know; decaf doesn't taste right to me."

"I don't know about that. If you pour enough sugar in it, it tastes fine," Ted said. "Of course if you pour enough sugar in it, it tastes like well, sugar…"

"I'll be sticking with my regular thanks."

A few minutes later the waitress returned with the coffee. She set the pot down on the table and handed Kat her cup.

"There you are darlin'. One cup of regular. Guaranteed to wake you up in the morning."

"Thank you," she answered with a smile, putting milk and sugar in her cup.

Ted began telling the table how Cody had been grumbling last night, and not letting him sleep.

"I swear I was going to get up and deck him. He was saying that his pillow was too lumpy, so I switched with him. Then he said the new pillow was too hard. I was about to smother him with it."

"Like you would," Cody said. "Besides, they were! The first one was like it was full of little balls, and the other one was like a brick."

"You're head's like a brick Code."

"Oh shut up Teddy." Cody turned to the rest of the table. "How did everyone else sleep?"

"I was out cold," John said.

"Same here," answered Randy.

"I took those aspirin, so I was asleep," Taker answered sipping his coffee.

"How about you?" Cody asked, turning to Kat. "Did you sleep ok? How were the pillows?"

From the other side of the booth, Edge smirked at her. "Yea, how were the pillows?"

A very light blush rose to her face. She took a sip of coffee to hide it. "They were fine. I fell asleep pretty fast. I guess I was tired."

"Well that's good. I wonder how Shawn slept," Cody asked.

Kat looked around, noticing that he wasn't present. "Where is he anyway?"

"He said he felt kinda sick from last night. He's probably in his room sleeping or something," Taker answered.

"Oh. I hope he's ok."

"Eh, he'll be fine. He said something about the French fries. I don't really know."

A minute later the waitress returned with their orders. There were so many plates on the table, there was barely any room.

"You know, I think the sheriff wants to talk to you later," Taker said to Kat, "about the robbery."

"Oh, that's good. Maybe he'll be able to get me my wallet back."

"Maybe."

Half an hour went by, and the waitress came back. "I just wanted to let you know that my shift's over. The next girl'll be coming in soon."

"Is that the same one that was here last night?" Randy asked innocently.

"Yea, she worked last night. Well you all have a nice day." With that, she picked up their dishes, turned and left. The table now clear, they went back to sipping coffee.

"Let the fun begin," Randy said.

"What do you mean?" Taker asked.

"That waitress from last night took Cody's wallet. She wouldn't give it back."

"She what?" Taker asked. "Don't worry Cody, if anything, I'll get it back."

"Thanks," Cody said. "Ted tried last night, and she was really nasty to him."

"Was she now? We'll see how that works today."

Ted grinned. "This is gonna be good."

"Let me ask for it," Randy said to Mark.

"You're not going to go all psycho on us are you?" Edge asked.

"Not unless she does something stupid," Randy answered.

"You try first Randy. If she still won't give it back, then I'll try. If not, we call the police," Taker said.

"Sure thing."

Five minutes later, the door opened and the waitress walked in. Soon she came over to their table. She left the check and started to walk away.

"Excuse me?" Randy asked, his tone even.

"Yea?" she answered turning back around.

"You have something that belongs to him," he said pointing to Cody. "He'd like it back."

"Like I told him last night," she said nastily, "if I find it, I keep it. Why don't you pay your bill and leave?"

"Are you kidding me?" Randy said. He stood up and took a step toward her. He was easily a foot taller. "Why don't you give him his wallet before things get ugly?"

"Like I also told your friend last night, if you lay a hand on me, I'll have you arrested. Now pay your bill, and get out." She turned and walked away toward the kitchen.

"Do you believe this?" Randy asked. "I oughta snap her little neck."

"She's got some hell of a nerve," Taker said.

The group stood and went toward the counter area. They stood waiting for her to come back out. When she did Mark stepped toward her.

He looked down at her. "You must think we're crazy. Give him his wallet back. _Now._"

"Get out," she snapped.

Mark's eyes were blazing. "You little…"

"Mark," Kat said softly, tapping him on the shoulder.

Taker turned and looked at her.

"Why don't we just take our stuff and go? It's obvious she's not giving it back," she said giving Taker a meaningful look.

He eyed her strangely. She was up to something; it was easy to see. He shrugged. "Alright then. Let's go."

The rest of the guys looked confused. What was going on?

As they made their way toward the front, Kat picked up a purse that was hanging by the front door.

"Oooh," she said. "What a nice purse. I think I'll take it." She picked it up off the hook.

"Hey!" the waitress snapped. "That's mine. Put it back."

Kat turned. "Oh, I'm sorry. I found it, so I'm going to keep it," she said with a wicked smile.

The waitress stepped close to her. "Put it down, or I'll make you."

Kat laughed. "You think I'm scared of some stupid little thieving bitch from Tennessee? Lady please."

The waitress took another step, and Kat's posture changed.

"If you lay a finger on me, I swear to God I'll break every bone in your body. And you won't be able to do a damn thing about it," Kat snapped. "You might be able to get them in trouble for hitting you, but not me. So go ahead. Try and see what happens to you."

The waitress stopped. Kat's eyes were blazing just like Taker's had been. Her posture, tone, demeanor, everything, could be clearly read as a threat. She wasn't joking.

"That's what I thought. Now give Cody his wallet."

Hesitantly the woman reached behind the counter and pulled out a wallet. Kat took it from her. She hung the woman's purse back up.

"The next time you try to steal from somebody, I want you to remember what just happened. Because next time, you might find somebody crazier than me, who just might follow through on that promise."

With that said, they all went outside into the diner's parking lot. Instantly, Kat's posture and attitude went back to normal.

"Here's your wallet Cody," she said grinning.

"Thank you! And oh my God," he exclaimed. "That was insane!"

"No kidding, I think I got chills," Ted said laughing.

""You scared the living hell out of her," John said.

"That was brilliant," said Randy.

"The look you were giving her, I seriously thought you were going to hit her," Edge added, shaking his head in amazement.

"Yea man!" Randy said. He looked at Kat. "Back there I thought Taker was about to let her have it, but then you said for us to go. I was like what? Grabbing her purse was brilliant. Did you two plan that out?"

Taker shook his head with a smile. "No, but that look she was giving me. I could see she was up to something. I'm glad I went along with it. That was pretty funny."

Kat grinned again. "I knew she would back down. She doesn't look like the type that could actually be a threat. I'm just glad Cody got his wallet back."

Cody smiled. "Thanks again."

She smiled. "No problem."

"I think we should head back to the motel. I'm going to try to call management and see when we're getting out of here," John said.

"I'm going to take Kat to see the sheriff, and then see about her car," Taker said. "We'll meet you guys back at the motel later." He turned to Kat. "Let's go."

**.**

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**Author's Note:** Hope you like! Thanks again to all my reviewers. Every review helps me know that you guys think this story is worth continuing. I'll have chapter six up soon! =)


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

They got into the truck and Taker started driving.

"That was quite a stunt you pulled in there," he said looking at her sideways with a smile.

She laughed. "Her face was absolutely priceless. I'm glad Cody got his wallet back. What she did was wrong."

Taker nodded. "I've got to give you some credit. That was pretty funny to watch."

"It wouldn't have worked if you hadn't gone along with it. I'm glad you took the hint."

He smiled. "Something about the look you had. It just read mischief. So I figured what the hell? Why not go along with it? If whatever you were planning didn't work, then things could get ugly."

"She was pretty stupid too to argue with the guys. That look Randy gave her? I mean my God. He looked like he was going to smack her."

"Randy has his moments. But you're right. Arguing with someone like that isn't exactly the brightest thing to do."

"What would you have done if she hadn't given the wallet back?"

"Well if she hadn't, I would have called the police."

She nodded. "Well anyway, at least there was no harm done."

"Yea." He turned the truck left at a light, and they could see the police station up ahead. He pulled into its parking lot and they got out.

They walked into the station. It was pretty quiet. There were only two officers sitting at desks. Both were drinking coffee and looked like they were bored out of their minds.

"Excuse me?" Mark said.

Both men stood. "Can we help you?" one said.

Taker nodded. "She's supposed to talk to the sheriff," he answered, gesturing to Kat.

"Oh, you must be the girl whose purse got stolen."

"That's me," Kat said.

"If you'll go through that door right there, the sheriff's waiting."

"Thanks." Kat started toward the door.

"I've got to pick up something for Shawn down the street. I'll be back in a few minutes," Mark said to her.

She nodded and he turned and left.

She went into the office. The sheriff was sitting at his desk. He was a thin blonde man, with tired looking blue eyes. He looked like he hadn't shaved or slept in a couple of days.

"Hi there," he said standing from the desk and shaking her hand. "I'm Sheriff Townsend. You must be Miss Taylor."

"Yes. That's me. So I'm assuming you know why I'm here?"

"Yes I do. I'm going to need to ask you a few questions. I've been told you were driving through here, and you got a flat? Is that right?"

"Yes."

"You stopped by the side of the road, and a man pulled up alongside you?"

"That's right."

"He proceeded to hit you, reach into the car, grab your purse, and then drove off. Is all that correct?"

"Yes it is."

"Alright then Miss Taylor. Well I've got good news for you, and bad news."

"I'll take the bad news first, if you don't mind."

"Well the bad news is that we don't have any leads as to who this man might be. I will say though that you're the third person that this has happened to."

"Right. And the good news?"

"The good news is that we found your purse a few miles up the road."

"You're kidding?" she said smiling.

"No ma'am.' He reached behind the desk and pulled out her purse. "Your wallet's still in there. Unfortunately, the only thing left in your wallet is your license. He took all your cash and credit cards."

She took the purse from him. Everything in her purse was still intact. Her makeup, keys, flashlight, and other things were still there. She opened her wallet. Her license was the only thing in it. Everything else was gone. "Well I'm thankful just the same. I can put a freeze on my credit cards. I didn't have much cash in there anyway."

"Well I'm going to have you give me a description of the man. I know it was dark out, but any little detail can help."

"Of course. Well he was tall and thin and he had on dark clothes. His hair was straight and it was dark. He wasn't clean shaven either. Ummm what else?" She thought for a moment. "He was young. I'd guess early twenties."

"That's a pretty good description. Alright, how about what he was driving?"

"It was a black truck. It was a little banged up looking. I can't really give you too much on the truck though. It was pretty dark out."

"That's alright. What you said corroborates what the other two people told us about the man that robbed them. If we find anything else out I'll be sure to let you know. How can I contact you if I need to? Where are you staying in town?"

"I'm at the motel down the road. The Pine View, I think it's called."

"Alright then. If we get any new information I'll contact you there. Thank you for coming in."

"Thank you for finding my purse. I hope you catch whoever it is."

"I do too."

Kat left the office and went outside the station. Mark's truck was still parked in the lot, but he wasn't in it. He was probably still at the store. She decided to walk down the road to see.

The store was only a few doors down. She went in and started looking around. She found Taker in the medicine aisle. He was leaning down looking at different bottles of pills. She went behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. "Find what you were looking for?"

Taker jumped and turned around. "My God, I didn't even hear you come up behind me."

She smiled. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"You didn't scare me. You startled me is all."

She smiled wryly. "Is that why you jumped outta your skin?"

He shook his head. "I wasn't expecting anyone to be behind me. Anyway, you're not exactly scary."

"No?" she asked smiling.

He snickered. "Not at all. Besides, what kind of Undertaker would I be if I was scared of someone not even half my size?"

She looked up at him. "We can't all be tall giants."

He laughed. "No, no we can't. So what did the sheriff say? I see you have a purse."

"Yea, they found my purse. Most of my stuff is still in it. The only things missing are my credit cards and the cash I had in my wallet."

"Do they have any lead on the guy that robbed you?"

"No, but he did say that I'm the third person this happened to. They're working on it I guess." She looked at the rows of medicine. "So did you find what you were looking for?"

"Yea. I found what Shawn wanted." The two started walking toward the front of the store. "Do you need anything?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Not that I can think of."

He paid for the medicine and they walked back to the truck. Taker started the truck. "Alright let's go see how Shawn is."

They drove back to the motel. He parked the truck, and they went to Shawn's room. Taker knocked, and they heard Shawn say it was alright to come in.

He was lying in bed, all covered up.

"How're you feeling Shawn?" Taker asked.

"Like hell," he answered, without turning over to look at them. "I hardly slept last night."

Kat walked around the bed to the side he was facing. "Can I get you anything?" she asked.

Shawn opened his eyes and looked at her. He sat up. He really did look sick. His eyes weren't clear. "Hun, if you can get me some water, I would be very thankful."

She nodded and went to get him some water. Shawn turned to Taker. "Did you get the medicine?"

Taker nodded and handed him the bag. Shawn opened it. "Where's the other one?" he asked.

Taker gave him a confused look. "There should be two bottles in the bag."

"There isn't."

"Hmm. It must have fallen out in the truck. I'll be back in a minute." He opened the door and went back out.

Kat came with a glass of water and handed it to Shawn. "There you go."

He took the glass and drank more than half of it in a single gulp. "Thank you hun. I needed that. I don't know what's wrong with me. I feel like hell."

Kat came closer and sat on the edge of the bed next to him. "Do you have a fever?" she asked.

"Honestly? I can't tell. I feel hot; I feel cold. I don't know if I do or I don't," he answered shaking his head.

"Hmm." She leaned over him and gently kissed his forehead. "No, you don't. Your skin's cool," she said sitting back.

Shawn looked at her in surprise. "Interesting way to take someone's temperature."

"My grandma used to do that. She said it's the best way without a thermometer. When you use your hands, you can't really be sure. Like for me, my hands are always cold, so things usually feel warm to me all the time. Your lips are usually the best judge of when something is too hot or too cold," she said shrugging.

"So no fever?" he asked managing a half smile.

"No," she said smiling. "Although from what Mark told me and how you look right now, offhand I'd guess you have a little case of food poisoning."

"Food poisoning?" he asked groaning.

She nodded. "Your skin feels clammy, and you look sick. Mark said you were saying how your stomach was bothering you. So, I'm guessing food poisoning." She picked up the bag that Mark had left, and opened the bottle. She took out two of the pills and handed them to Shawn. "Take these."

He nodded and popped them in his mouth. He swallowed them with the rest of the glass of water. As he was taking the medicine, Taker came back in.

"I found the other bottle. It slipped under the seat." He noticed Kat sitting next to Shawn on the bed, along with the glass and the pills. "I see she's been playing nurse for you Shawn."

Shawn gave another half smile. "I need this one around whenever I get sick. She's a good nurse. She even took my temperature."

Taker raised an eyebrow. "Yea? With no thermometer? How'd she manage that?"

"With a kiss," Shawn answered.

"What?" Taker asked.

Kat shook her head with a smile. "Like I told Shawn, it's the easiest way to see if someone has a fever. A kiss to the forehead can usually tell you if someone is too hot or too cold."

"I see," Taker said.

"I'm glad it was her checking though," Shawn said with another smile. "She's a lot less scary than you Deadman."

Kat laughed. "Glad you think so."

Taker rolled his eyes. He handed Shawn the other bottle. "Why don't you take your medicine and get some rest?"

Kat took the bottle from Shawn and started to read the label. This one was a liquid. She looked around the room. There was a spoon on the table by the dresser. She refilled the glass of water, picked up the spoon and came back to Shawn on the bed.

"I've got a feeling this isn't going to taste very nice," Shawn said looking at her.

"Probably not," she answered, pouring out a spoonful. "Alright, open up."

She gave him the medicine and then handed him the water. He took a few sips then gave her back the glass. She put it on the nightstand. "Go to sleep," she said.

Shawn nodded. "You're an angel for helping me out," he said. "Thanks."

She smiled at him. "Get some rest. And you're very welcome."

Shawn sank back down into the pillows, and Kat and Mark left the room.

"That was nice of you," Mark said as they walked toward his room.

She shrugged. "He's sick. I was just helping out. Besides, the way he looks, he shouldn't be getting out of bed."

Taker nodded. "By the way, I forgot to tell you, the mechanic called about your car."

"Yea? What did he say?"

"He said that along with the flat, you've got some problem with your starter too."

"Fantastic," she said shaking her head.

"He said that since the car's a rental, the rental company will pay for the repairs. But, you're still going to have to wait a while for him to fix it. He doesn't have the kind of starter that he needs. He said he ordered it though."

"Well at least the company's paying for it."

"Yea. He said he'll have it done as soon as he can."

"But in the meantime I'm stuck."

"Pretty much."

"Hmm, I wanna go into the motel office for a second. I'll be right back."

Taker eyed her strangely but said nothing. He headed toward his room. Ten minutes later Kat came in.

"What was that about?" he asked her.

"I wanted to ask the clerk if there was anything around here to do. I don't like just sitting around."

"And he said?"

"He said there isn't much, but there's an orchard a little way beyond the motel. He said people go and pick peaches and apples and stuff. He said it's a nice place to go, and you can walk there. Do you wanna come with me?" she asked.

"Apple picking?" he asked.

"Yea. I mean it's better than sitting around going crazy right?"

Taker thought for a moment. There wasn't much else to do, and it was nice outside. "Eh why not? I'll see if any of the other guys are up for it too. If not, we'll go alone."

She smiled. "Yay."

Taker shook his head with a smile. "Let's go see if anyone else wants to come," he said heading toward the door. They went and knocked on Randy and John's door.

Randy opened it. "Hey Taker." He noticed Kat with him. "Where're you two heading off to?"

"We're taking a walk to the orchard not far from here. You and Cena up for a walk?"

"The orchard?" Randy asked. He gave Taker a quizzical look. "To pick fruit?"

"As she put it," he said gesturing to Kat, "it's better than sitting around going crazy."

"Good point," Randy said. "Let me get John."

He disappeared into the room, and a few minutes later they both came out.

"Should we see if the other guys want to come?" John asked.

"The more the merrier right?" Kat asked smiling.

Cena nodded with a smile. "Right."

They walked over to Ted and Cody's room. The two were glad for something to do and decided to come along for the walk.

"Alright," Randy said. "What are the odds the infamous Mr. Rated R wants to come?"

"I dunno Randy," John said. "I'm sure it would be a hell of a lot more fun if he came, but I don't know if he'd want to."

"Maybe we can talk him into it?" Kat asked.

"Maybe," John answered.

"Hmmm. Why don't you guys go grab a map from the desk clerk? I forgot to take it from him. I'll try and see if I can get Goldilocks to come."

Randy snickered. "I gotta remember to call him that."

Kat smiled. "I'll meet you guys by the motel office in a few minutes."

The guys went to the office, and Kat headed back toward Edge's room. She knocked on the door, and after a few seconds opened the door. He was laying in bed reading.

He looked up and on seeing her, he put his book down. "And what can I do for you?"

"Well, me and the guys are going to take a walk to the orchard that's not far from here. We wanted to see if you wanted to come."

"Me walking around picking fruit. Hmmm, I don't know."

"John said you probably wouldn't want to. I told him I'd ask you anyway."

"Did you now?"

"Yea. John also said it would be more fun if you came. I thought maybe I could persuade you," she said shrugging.

"Yea?" he said smiling. "Go ahead then. Persuade me."

"Umm can you please come?"

"I think you can do better than that."

"Umm ok. Can you please come? It'll be fun. It's better than sitting around doing nothing."

"That's true. I guess I'll come. But I do think you have a lot to learn in the area of persuasion," he added with a smirk.

She smiled mischievously. "You caved, so I didn't have to use any other method of persuasion."

He smirked again. "I'd like to see that."

"I'll bet," she said wryly. "Let's go Goldilocks."

The two left the room and headed to the motel office. The rest of the guys were waiting outside. Randy was holding the map.

"Well, look who's here," he said to Edge.

Edge shrugged. "What can I say? She persuaded me into coming," he said grinning.

"Alright, so the map shows a trail that goes to the orchard. It should be through those trees there," Randy said pointing. "Let's go."

The group started walking and headed through the trees toward the orchard.

**.**

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**Author's Note**: Hope you liked this chapter. Thanks for all the reviews! Keep them coming =) I'll have the next chapter up by the end of the week.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The sun was shining brightly in the sky. There were a few fluffy white clouds, but other than that it was clear. The way to the orchard was a dirt path that led through some thick woods. The trees were tall and dense.

"Is it a far walk?" Cody asked turning to Kat.

"I don't think so. The clerk said it wasn't too far, maybe about fifteen minutes?"

"Oh ok. I was just thinking that if it's far we might get lost."

"I don't think so. Besides, Randy has the map, right?"

"Yea I got it," Randy said turning back to look at her. "We're not going to get lost. I have a decent sense of direction, unlike Mr. Get Us Lost in the Middle of Nowhere over there," he said turning to Cena.

"Geez you make one mistake and you never hear the end of it," John grumbled.

"Not when that one mistake almost got our asses shot," Randy returned. "We were damn lucky that girl convinced her father that we were lost, not trespassing."

"What?" Kat asked laughing.

"Well you see, a while back me and John were driving through Mississippi. We were heading through to Dallas for a show. I was driving and John had the map. Halfway there, this idiot tells me to make a right at a fork in the road. Next thing I know we're in the middle of the woods, and the car runs outta gas."

"You're kidding?" she said still laughing.

"No joke. We got out of the car and started walking around, looking for a house or something. As it turned out, we were in the middle of some psycho guy's land. He came out of the trees with a shotgun, and probably would've shot us both if his daughter hadn't come running. She convinced the man that we were probably just lost, not to shoot us for trespassing. Once we got some gas for the car, I took the map and got us the hell outta there. That was the last time I ever trusted John with a map."

"That's terrible," Kat said, "and yet hilarious at the same time. I'm glad you guys didn't get shot though."

"Me too," Randy said. He looked at the map for a moment. "It's this way," he said pointing.

"But that goes off the trail," Ted said.

"I'm going with what the map says man."

Ted held up his hands. "Alright, if that's what the map says." He shook his head.

They turned off the trail and headed through the trees. Randy and John were at the front, with Ted, Cody, and Edge right behind them. Edge was telling the two about the book he was reading. Ted had recommended it, and he wanted to know if Edge liked it.

Behind the Ted, Cody, and Edge, was Kat and Mark. Kat was walking a little more slowly than the rest of the group. It wasn't that she couldn't keep up with them; she just didn't see any point in walking so quickly. Why not view the scenery a little? Her and Mark were walking side by side in silence. He had slowed his pace so that she wouldn't be left lagging behind alone. She looked lost in thought, so he didn't speak.

Suddenly her eyes narrowed and she turned away from the group and went into the trees. Taker jumped at her sudden movement, and the rest of the guys turned around.

"What the hell?" Randy asked.

"What did she see?" Edge said turning to Taker.

"No idea. I'm going to go after her, before she gets lost in these damn trees. Randy do you have that extra map?" Taker asked.

"Yea, here you go. You sure you don't want us to come help you look?"

"It's fine. She must have seen something or somebody. She probably didn't go too far. I'll meet you guys there."

With that Taker took the map and, putting it in his pocket, went off in the direction Kat had gone.

He hadn't gone more than a few dozen feet, when the trees opened up, revealing a large clearing. He saw Kat in the middle of it. He went over to her. She was sitting in the center of a huge group of flowers.

"Is this why you disappeared?" he asked sitting in the grass.

She looked up, startled. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wander off. But I thought I saw a break in the trees, and the flowers, and well, I was curious."

"You were curious?"

"Well yea. That and the fact that these are my favorite kind of flowers," she added holding up a bunch that she had picked. "I don't see them much at home."

"What are those?" he asked. The flowers she was holding were a brilliant blue.

"They're delphinium, better known as larkspur. They're my favorite; I just love the color."

He nodded. "Does this mean you're not coming with the rest of us to the orchard? If you'd rather stay here…"

"No no," she said. "I still want to come. I just wanted to see the flowers first."

Taker nodded again and stood. "Alright then, let's go before they think something happened to you." He offered her a hand, and pulled her to her feet.

"Ok," she said looking around at the field once more.

"Don't forget your flowers," he said picking up the bouquet.

She smiled and took it from him. "Thanks."

Mark pulled out the map and studied it for a moment. "Well according to this, we can either go back the way we came, or we can cut through the field and go that way," he said pointing.

"Can we cut through the field?" she asked with a hopeful smile.

He smiled. "Why not?"

She grinned. "Yay."

Taker shook his head. "I'm starting to see why you teach elementary school," he said with a laugh.

She stuck her tongue out at him. "I just like letting my inner child loose."

He laughed again. "It shows," he said gesturing to the bouquet and the fact that she had wandered off to pick it.

They started walking through the field toward the opposite side. There was another patch of larkspur, and Kat was eyeing it. There was one particularly pretty bloom among the flowers. It was larger than the rest, and more vibrantly colored. She glanced at it and sighed, thinking that Mark might be right about her being childish for picking the flowers. So, instead of picking it, she kept walking.

Mark saw her looking at the larkspur, and his attention was easily drawn to what she had been looking at. The vibrancy of the flower was hard to miss. Even among a sea of its own kind, this one stood out. He saw her sigh and keep walking, and he shook his head. She was a few steps ahead of him, and as she kept going, he leaned down and snapped the flower off its stem.

He quickly caught up with her. "Something wrong?" he asked.

"No, I was just thinking," she answered.

"Penny for your thoughts," he said.

She shrugged. "Nothing much really. I was just thinking maybe you were right about me running off."

He nodded. "Oh."

"So?" she asked.

"So what?"

"So where's the penny?" she asked with a half smile.

Mark shrugged. "I don't have one."

"Then it's not really a penny for my thoughts is it?"

"I guess not," he answered. "Maybe this works better?" he asked innocently, handing her the flower.

She looked up at him in surprise. "How did you know…?"

"You're an easier book to read than you think," he said shrugging again, this time with a grin.

She smiled. "Thank you," she said taking it from him. "Hmm but what happened to picking flowers being a little childish?"

"As a friend of mine once said, there's nothing wrong with stopping to smell the flowers every now and again," he returned.

She laughed. "Your friend's a smart man." She looked up as they came to the end of the field. "Hey, aren't those apple trees?"

Taker looked. "You're right. This must be the place. Why don't we go find the guys?"

The two headed toward the front of the orchard. There was a man sitting there with bags and buckets to carry whatever fruit might be picked.

"Hi there," he said when he saw them.

"Hi," Kat said. "Umm we wanted to pick some stuff."

"Sure thing darlin'. You take a bag or a bucket, and once you're done you come back here for me to weigh it."

"Great," she said smiling. "By the way, did a group of guys just come this way?"

"As a matter of fact, there was a group of guys here not five minutes ago. They headed toward the peach trees."

"Thanks," she said.

Taker picked up a bucket. "We could all use some fruit. It's easier to carry than the bag anyway."

Kat nodded. She thought for a moment, and turned back to the man. "Um, would you might if I left these here? I don't want them to get crushed," she said gesturing to the bouquet she was holding.

"That's no trouble. Just set them down on there, and they'll be here when you come back."

"Thanks again," Kat said. Her and Mark walked off and headed toward the peach trees.

A few minutes later, they found the guys laughing hysterically at Randy. He was doing an impression of a monkey, hanging upside down from a tree.

Upon seeing Taker, he quickly dropped himself down onto the ground. "Hey Deadman," he said.

"What's the matter Randy?" Taker asked. "Why'd you come down? It suits you."

The guys rolled in laughter. "He's got a point Randy," John said laughing.

"Shut up John, before I take that peach and shove it up your…"

"Randy!" Taker snapped.

Randy held up his hands. "Sorry, sorry. I need to watch my mouth."

"Yes you do," Cena said mischievously.

Randy shot him a look, and John was silent.

"So who wants to go pick pears?" Edge said cheerily, cutting the silence.

Randy shrugged. "Lead the way Goldilocks."

Edge turned. "What did you just call me?"

Randy grinned. "You heard me."

Edge looked at Kat. "She's the only one that gets to call me Goldilocks."

"Why's that?" Randy asked.

"Cuz' I like her and I don't like you," he said with a grin. "Plus, she thought of it."

Kat laughed at Randy's face. "Sorry Randy," she said shrugging. "I guess you'll have to come up with another name for him."

Randy grinned. "Oh I can think of a few."

"Randy…"Mark started.

"Alright alright. I know, watch my mouth."

When they finally got to the pear trees, the fruit was easy to pick. The pears were hanging within arm's reach of all the guys.

Kat stood under the branches looking up. She jumped, her fingertips brushing the fruit, but she couldn't reach it. "Right about now, I wish I was taller."

"Need a boost?" John asked, seeing her jumping.

"Just a little one," she said looking up at the branches.

He went behind her, and easily lifted her off the ground. "Can you reach now?" he asked.

"Uh huh! Thanks," she said as she pulled a few pears off.

"Got enough?" he asked.

"Yea, you can put me down."

He gently put her back on the ground. "Good?"

She grinned. "That was fun," she said laughing.

Cena laughed. "Anytime."

She dropped the pears into the bucket John was holding and looked around. "Who's coming with me for apples?" she asked.

"We're all coming," John said.

They walked toward the section for apples and split up. Ted and Cody went looking for yellow ones. Cody said he didn't like the red, and that the green were sour. Randy said that he wasn't in a mood for apples, so he went off looking for what else might be around to pick. When he didn't come back after ten minutes, John decided to go look for him.

Kat, Edge and Taker were the only ones left by the apple trees. These trees were very sparse with fruit, and the fruit that was still hanging had been eaten by birds.

Kat looked around, noticing a dirt path that led off in one direction. "Do you guys think maybe there's more that way?"

"It's worth a look," Edge said. "Let's go check it out."

Taker shrugged. "Let's go then."

The three headed off in that direction, and soon met up with Ted and Cody. They had found the yellow apples. These trees had a lot of fruit, but most of it was close to the tops of the branches.

"I only got three apples," Cody said looking at the trees. "They're too high up."

"Why don't you climb up Code?" Edge asked.

"I dunno. I might be a little too heavy for the branches."

"Yea that's true. Don't wanna try that. Why don't we sit and wait for Randy and John to come back?"

The five sat waiting. Kat kept looking up at the branches as if mentally debating something with herself. She got up and walked back over to one of the trees.

"What're you doing?" Mark asked.

"I'm going to try to climb it. I'm lighter than Cody after all. Maybe I can get some of them."

She started her way up, and Mark came and stood at the base of the tree.

"Catch," she said throwing an apple down to him.

He caught it easily, and threw it to Cody. "There you go Code."

"Alright!" Cody said smiling. "My favorite."

Kat threw down another one, and climbed a little higher up. There were quite a few apples in this tree. She inched out closer to the edge of the branch she was sitting on. She picked three more and threw them all down to Taker.

Randy and John finally showed up carrying a basket of blueberries. "Look what we found," they said.

Randy saw Taker at the bottom of the tree and went over to him. "What're you doing Deadman?"

Taker gestured to Kat sitting up in the tree. Randy looked up, and she mischievously threw an apple at him.

"Hey!" he said, barely catching the apple before it hit him.

She laughed. "Sorry Randy, I couldn't help it."

"I'm gonna move before you knock me out with one of these things," he said shaking his head.

He went back to the other guys. "Why don't we start taking the fruit back to be weighed?" he asked.

"Ok," John said. Him and the rest of the guys picked up their buckets. "You coming guys?" he asked Taker and Kat.

"Sure thing," Kat said. "I just wanna get one or two more. Maybe Shawn wants one."

"Alright, we'll meet you guys back there." They began walking, leaving Kat and Mark by the apple trees.

"So are you coming down now?" Taker asked looking up at her.

"The view up here is really nice," she said. "I almost don't wanna come down."

"Well you can't stay up there," he said.

"Alright, let me grab an extra one and I'll get down."

She leaned forward and reached out for another apple that was on the end of the branch, but couldn't quite reach it. She inched forward a little more, and just as she was about to pick it, the branch she was on snapped.

She screamed as she fell toward the ground. She closed her eyes bracing herself for the impact with the ground. Instead she felt two hands grab her. As she fell she opened her eyes, realizing that Mark had caught her. He had wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him as they both hit the ground. They landed hard, with her on top of him.

"Oh my God," she said looking at him. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," he said his voice a little pinched. "Are _you_ ok?"

"I think so," she said, rolling herself off of him. He sat up, and she sat next to him. "I think my life just flashed before my eyes. Thank you for catching me. I hope I didn't hurt you."

"It's ok. I've had a lot heavier people fall on me," he said giving her a half smile. He stood, and she saw a pained expression flash across his face.

"Yea, but you don't usually land like that," she said standing beside him. "Are you ok to go back to the front?"

He nodded. "I'm fine."

They walked back to the front of the orchard, where the rest of the guys were waiting.

"Whoa, what happened Deadman?" Randy asked noticing Mark's stiff posture.

"Don't worry about it Randy. I'm ok," he said. "Let's head back."

They headed back to the motel, fairly quietly. Taker was trying to walk as normally as possible so as not to worry everyone else. He was doing a pretty good job of it too.

By the time they got back, it was just after six.

"I think I'm gonna go take a shower," John said. "All that walking and the dirt and all."

"I think we all need a shower," Ted said. "I call the shower first Code."

"We'll see about that," Cody said with a mischievous smile. "We'll see who gets there first."

"I think I'm gonna go do the same," Taker said. He turned to Kat. "Are you coming with me, or going with one of them?"

"I think I'm gonna go see how Shawn is, and then I'll come to your room. I need a shower too, and you have most of my clothes."

Taker nodded, and the rest of the group headed to their respective rooms. Kat grabbed a bag with some fruit in it and headed to Shawn's room.

.

**Author's Note:** XOXO to all my lovely reviewers. =) Love all the reviews; they're better than candy. =D Well anyway, hope you all liked this chapter. I'll have the next one up soon.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

She knocked softly on the door. If Shawn was sleeping, she didn't want to wake him.

"Come in," she heard him say.

She opened the door and went in. Shawn sat up from the bed, smiling when he saw her.

"Well if it isn't my lovely nurse," he said.

She smiled back. "I wanted to see if you were feeling any better."

"A little bit doll. What's in the bag?" he asked.

"Fruit. Do you think your stomach can manage it?"

"I think so. I'm starving anyway."

She pulled an apple out and handed it to him.

"Where'd you get the fruit?"

"We all took a walk to the orchard down the road. It was something to do."

He nodded. "They have a lot?"

"Yea, they had a bunch of different stuff. There should be some of everything in here," she said handing the bag to him.

He took the bag from her and emptied the bag onto the bed, looking at its contents. "Hmm not bad." He caught sight of her bouquet as it tumbled out of the bottom of the bag. "Flowers?"

"Oops, sorry. Those are mine. I didn't realize they were in there."

"They're pretty," he said picking up the bouquet. "Which one of our Romeo's gave them to you?" he asked teasingly.

She laughed. "None; I picked them myself. Well, except that one," she said picking up the most vibrant flower.

"Yea? And where'd that one come from?" he asked with a mischievous smile.

She laughed. "Mark gave it to me."

Surprise crossed Shawn's face. "Mark? As in our Deadman Mark? As in Mr. Can-scare-everybody-with-a-single-look Mark?" he asked with an incredulous smile.

"Yea," she said with a laugh. "You've got quite an interesting expression on your face."

Shawn shook his head. "It's just a little surprising is all." He shrugged. "But we all have our moments."

Kat smiled. "I guess so. It's pretty though isn't it?"

"Very," he said. "You should put it in your hair."

"Yea?"

He nodded. "The color suits you."

"Maybe after I go shower. I feel like a mess," she said.

"Alright then. I'll see you later. Maybe I'll drag my ass outta bed to dinner."

"If you're feeling up to it."

"I'll see in an hour or so," he said. "I don't wanna push my luck."

"Ok then. Bye Shawn," she said. She picked up the flowers, and went back to Taker's room.

She knocked on the door. When he didn't answer, she went in. He was still in the bathroom. She put the flowers on the dresser, and started looking through her bag for some clothes. From the bathroom she heard something fall, and a second later she heard Mark curse. She shook her head with a smile. And he talked about Randy. He must have dropped something.

A few minutes later, the bathroom door opened. He came out wearing dark jeans and no shirt. He jumped a little when he saw her.

She smiled. "Didn't hear me come in?"

"No," he said shaking his head. "You sneak around like a ghost," he added with a smile. He was towel drying his hair. He went to the dresser for the brush, and accidently knocked her bouquet off. He bent to pick it up and pain went through his face. "Oh God," he said stiffening.

"Are you ok?" Kat asked standing.

"I'm fine," he said through clenched teeth.

She raised an eyebrow and leveled him with a look of doubt. "Lemme ask you something. Before, when I fell and you caught me, did you hurt your back?"

"Once again, I'm fine."

"Of course you are," she said sarcastically.

He went back into the bathroom with the brush and a second after she heard him groan. She pushed the door open. He was leaning over the sink, his back stiff. Pain was radiating through his face.

"Must be a knot or something," he muttered.

She looked at him. "I'm sorry Mark. This is my fault. If I hadn't been up in that tree, you wouldn't have gotten hurt."

Taker shook his head. "It's not your fault. I'm fine. Don't worry about it." He straightened up carefully, and went back into the bedroom.

"At least put something on it," she said. "There's no sense in you walking around in pain all night."

He sat on the edge of the bed and sighed. "I can see there's no use in arguing with you. Go to Randy's room and ask him for that jar of Mineral Ice he keeps. I'll put some of that on it."

She nodded. "I'll be right back."

She went out the door and to Randy and John's room. Randy opened the door when she knocked.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Umm Mark wants the Mineral Ice. Can I have it?"

"Mineral Ice? Is he alright?"

"He did something to his back. He was saying he might have a knot in it?"

"Here," he said handing her a jar. "Take it. If he's got a knot though, it needs to be worked out. Just putting this on won't be enough."

She nodded. "Ok, thanks."

She took the jar and went back to Taker's room. He was still sitting on the bed. She went over to him and he moved to take the jar from her. She shook her head.

"If you do have a knot, it has to be rubbed out. Lay down," she said.

"I'm pretty sure I can get it myself."

"Yea? Why don't you try reaching your hand back behind you?"

He did and he winced.

"Well?" she asked, gesturing to the bed.

"You don't have to do this you know," he said. "I can get one of the guys to work it out for me."

"I know, but it's my fault that you hurt your back in the first place. And besides, I'm right here. Instead of me going to get one of them, I might as well."

"Alright," he said lying flat on his stomach. "Go ahead."

She climbed onto the bed next to him. "Where does it hurt?" she asked.

"Mostly the left side," he said. "I think that's where the knot is."

"Here?" she asked gently pressing her fingertips down.

He winced again.

"I'll take that as a yes. Anywhere else?"

"My shoulders, but I can live with that."

She nodded and opened the Mineral Ice. She took some on her fingertips and rubbed it on. He stiffened at her touch.

"Relax," she said. "I'm not going to kill you."

"I didn't think you were; your hands are ice cold."

She laughed. "Sorry, they're cold most of the time." Gently she started applying pressure to his back. The knot was easy for her to find. The moment she touched it, he stiffened again.

Slowly she worked around it getting closer and closer to where it hurt the most. Mark's body slowly relaxed, and soon the knot was gone. She sat back, and he turned his head to look at her.

"Thank you," he said. "That feels much better."

"Who said I was done? Sit up."

He raised an eyebrow questioningly, but sat up anyway.

"Didn't you say your shoulders hurt?" she said moving behind him.

She gently massaged his shoulders until she felt all the tension leave. "There," she said sitting back. "Now I'm done."

He turned around to face her. "Thanks. I owe you for this."

"No you don't. You kept me from killing myself with that tree. It was the least I could do."

Mark pulled his shirt on. "I gotta say, I think a lot of the guys would benefit from you being around."

"Yea?" she asked smiling.

"You've got good massage skills. That goes a long way when you're always falling down."

She laughed. "Glad you think so."

He smiled. "You spent all this time trying to fix me that you didn't even shower. Why don't you go now? I'm going to go see where Randy picked for us to have dinner. He said him and John found someplace different. I'll be back."

He stood up and stretched. "Amazing," he said to himself shaking his head. He turned and went out.

After he left, Kat went and took a quick shower. She got out, realizing that she had forgotten to take her clothes with her into the bathroom. She wrapped herself up in a towel and went out into the bedroom to find something to wear. She went through her bag, settling on a black cotton summer dress. It was still very warm outside, despite the fact that the sun was setting.

She had gotten her bra and panties on and was about to pull on the dress when the door opened. She jumped. "Jesus Christ! Doesn't anybody knock anymore?" she said holding the dress up in front of her and turning around. It was Shawn.

Shawn instantly turned his back. "Sorry sorry! I thought Mark was in here."

Kat quickly pulled the dress on. "Ok Shawn, you can turn around again."

Shawn turned, his face slightly pink. "I'm sorry about that doll. Like I said, I thought Mark was in here."

"It's ok," she said "no harm done." She went to the dresser and began brushing her hair.

Shawn went and sat on the edge of the bed shaking his head. "I really gotta learn to knock."

"Really Shawn, it's ok. You just surprised me is all. Besides, it's not like I was totally naked or anything." She turned and looked at him. "You said you were looking for Mark?"

He nodded. "Yea, I wanted to ask him something. Where is he anyway?"

"He's in Randy and John's room. He wanted to know where the place is they found for dinner."

"I'll go look there then," he said still not looking at her. He headed for the door, but she stopped him with a tap on the shoulder.

"Shawn, relax. Just put it out of your head or something. It's fine. Okay?" she asked meeting his eyes.

After a moment, he nodded. "Okay."

She smiled at him and he left. She laughed to herself as she went to the mirror. He looked freaked out. When she was finished getting ready she grabbed her black flats from the bag. Somehow the dress would just look strange with her sneakers.

She turned to leave then caught sight of the bouquet of larkspur. Smiling to herself, she tucked the prettiest one in her hair, like Shawn had told her she should. Well, before Shawn had freaked out anyway.

She left and headed toward Randy and John's room. She knocked on the door and heard Randy answer.

She opened the door and went in. Mark and Shawn were sitting at a table in the corner. Randy was sitting on the bed, and the bathroom door was closed, so she guessed John was in the bathroom.

"Hi guys," she said. She went over to the bed and sat next to Randy.

Randy looked at her and a grin formed. "Well don't you look pretty," he said teasingly. "Did you wear that just for me?"

She smirked at him. "Sorry, but no."

He laughed. "At least your rejection's consistent."

She grinned. "I try."

The bathroom door opened and John came out wrapped in a towel.

"Who was at the door?" he asked then jumped when he saw Kat. "Whoa! You guys gotta give me a head's up when there's a girl in here." He turned to Kat. "You got bad timing," he said grabbing clothes out of the dresser.

"Bad for you maybe," she said mischievously.

Cena's face went pink and he went back into the bathroom with his clothes. When he came back out his face was still tinged pink.

"You ok?" Kat asked.

"Fine," he said.

"Your face looks kinda red there John," Randy said hiding a grin.

"Can it Randy."

Kat looked at him and shook her head. "Relax John. It's not like I really saw anything anyway. It's like I told Shawn. It's not like you were completely naked."

"Yea, I guess you're right." He sat and then his eyes went to Shawn. "Wait, what about Shawn?"

Mischief crept into her voice. "Let's just saw Shawn got a little show."

All eyes turned to Shawn, who looked like he wanted to disappear. Mark was sitting across from him and he raised an eyebrow.

"A show?" he asked.

"Oh Lord," Shawn mumbled running a hand over his face.

Kat laughed. "I was getting dressed before and Shawn opened the door. That's all. He was looking for you Mark."

"Was he now?" asked Mark.

Shawn nodded. "I wanted to ask you something so I opened the door. How was I supposed to know she was getting dressed?"

"You could have knocked," Randy said.

Shawn gave him a look. "It's habit ok? It's like John. He didn't think twice before coming out. He didn't know."

"You two need to relax," Kat said. "No harm done right? And honestly, like I said, nobody was naked so everybody just let it go. Worse things could have happened."

"You're right," John said. "It could be worse."

"Yea," Randy quipped, "it could have been your stalker instead of her."

Cena shot him a nasty look. "Thank you Randy," he said sarcastically.

"Glad to help," Randy answered grinning.

"John, seriously, you have nothing to be embarrassed about." She smiled. "Trust me."

John grinned. "Well I feel better."

She grinned back. "Good." She turned. "And how about you Mr. Heartbreaker?" she said looking at Shawn.

Shawn shrugged. "Like you said, worse things could have happened." He paused and then grinned. "And by the way, you have nothing to be embarrassed about either."

Kat looked at him in surprise, a light pink coming to her face. "Thank you?" she said with a smile. "I think…"

Shawn grinned. "I feel better too."

Kat shook her head. "I'll bet."

"Alright you guys," Mark said standing up. "Why don't we go before the rest of the guys think we left them?"

"I'll go get Ted and Cody," Randy said.

"I'll go get the other crazy blonde," Shawn said. "I hope Adam's not reading again. He's impossible when he has a book."

"I'll go get my truck," John said. "Why don't you get yours Mark? I'll take Randy, Ted and Cody with me. You can take Shawn and Adam with you two."

Taker nodded. "Alright. I'll be following you guys, since I have no idea where we're going."

John nodded then headed toward the parking lot.

Kat and Mark went toward Edge's room to get him and Shawn. From outside the door they could hear Shawn grumbling with him. "Put the book down and get off your rear. Let's go!"

"Maybe I don't wanna come to dinner," they heard Edge reply.

Taker opened the door. "What?" he asked.

"Suddenly I'm starving," Edge said jumping up.

Kat laughed. "That was a quick change of heart."

Taker grinned. "Well aren't you jumpy?" he asked Edge.

He smiled nervously. "Me? Jumpy? Not at all Deadman." He pulled on his shoes. "So let's go."

The four got into Taker's truck and started to follow John to the restaurant. It was about a half hour's drive to get there. The restaurant was in a more populated area. There were several other restaurants and a few bars along the same street.

The group was quickly seated at a table in a back room of the restaurant where it was quieter. The front of the place had its own bar, and it was pretty loud. The back room had been reserved for them. The table was circular, and Kat had ended up sitting between Randy and Edge.

"Anybody else getting a drink?" Randy asked once they had all sat down.

"I'm driving," Taker said. "So I'm not."

"Yea, I don't think I am either," Shawn said. "I don't think my stomach can handle it. That plus who knows how it'll mix with the medicine. So if anybody else wants to, I can always drive John's truck back."

Randy nodded. "How about the rest of you?" he asked looking around the table.

"Yea why not," Ted answered. "Lord knows we don't get the chance much."

Randy looked at Kat next to him. "What about you?"

"I dunno," she answered. "I don't think the idea of me getting drunk around you guys is such a hot idea."

"You don't trust us?" Edge asked with a grin.

"No," she said giving him a smile. "It's not that I don't trust you guys. I don't trust myself."

"Why not?" Edge asked, still grinning.

"Don't worry," Shawn said, cutting Edge off. "We'll keep an eye on you."

Kat shrugged. "I'm not much for liquor anyway."

"Why don't you let one of us do the ordering?" Randy asked. "Maybe you'll like it."

She shrugged again. "Be my guest."

The waiter came and the table placed their drink orders. Randy ordered Kat the same thing he was having. When it came Kat took a sip. She was surprised. It wasn't bad.

"I'll give you some credit there Randy. I actually like it."

He grinned. "Good. Just don't drink it too fast. It's loaded."

The waiter took their dinner orders and went back toward the front of the restaurant.

"So by the way Deadman, how's your back?" Randy asked looking at Taker.

"It's better," Mark said looking at him.

"Your back?" Shawn asked. "What happened to your back?"

"It was kind of my fault," Kat said.

Shawn turned and looked at her, confusion all over his face. "What? How did you mess up his back?" He raised an eyebrow. "Or don't I wanna know?"

Her face flushed pink at his implied meaning. "It happened in the orchard," she said shaking her head. "I was sitting up in a tree. The branch broke, and Mark caught me. We landed kinda hard, and he hurt his back."

"Ohhhh," Shawn said. "For a minute there, I was thinking that…you know what, let's not go down that road…"

"Is that why you were walking so stiff?" John asked.

Taker nodded. "It's fine now though."

"Well that's good," Shawn said. "Did our little angel of a nurse work her magic on you too?"

Taker smiled. "That she did."

"It was my fault he hurt it, so I the least I could do was fix it," she said shrugging.

A few minutes later their food came. The food was very good and everyone was exchanging forks to taste someone else's.

"I think I like yours better than mine, Code," Randy said stealing another piece from Cody's plate.

"Keep your fork to yourself," Cody said pulling his plate away.

There was a sound of footsteps coming toward the room they were in. They were walking very loudly. A second later a voice came from the doorway.

"Randy Orton! I've been looking for you for three days! Why haven't you been answering my calls?" the voice snapped.

.

**Author's Note:** So who do you guys think the voice belongs to? I hate to end it like that, but I love the suspense of it. =) I'll have the next chapter up soon. Thanks for the reviews, and keep them coming!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Without turning around to see who was talking, Randy grimaced. That voice was unmistakable. Edge also seemed to recognize the voice. He too had a grimace on his face. The other guys, who were facing the doorway, had varying expressions. Cena's face wore a mixture of amusement and distaste. Ted and Cody were frowning slightly, so little that it was barely perceptible. Shawn looked a little annoyed. Mark's face betrayed no emotion at all. His expression was blank.

"Are you just going to sit there Randy?" snapped the voice again, coming through the doorway. "Or are you going to turn around and answer me?"

This time Randy turned, and so did Kat sitting next to him.

"It's nice to see you too," Randy returned, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Kat looked at the woman stepping closer to him. She did not look happy. She was an inch or two shorter than herself, but looked taller due to the ridiculously high heels she was wearing. She was wearing navy blue dress pants and a cream colored button down shirt.

Her hair was dark and streaked through with platinum blonde. The blonde was a little too light though, and made her hair look like it was streaked with white. Kat studied her face closely, debating whether it was the lighting of the room, or too much makeup that made her look the way she did. Either way, the effect wasn't very pretty. Her skin looked almost orange.

"Don't give me that sarcasm crap," she snapped again. "Why haven't you been answering my phone calls?"

"You want me to be honest?" Randy asked. "I've had better things to do."

Her face went from annoyance to anger. "Listen to me…" she began.

"Why don't you have a seat?" Edge interjected suddenly. "You can have this conversation later, maybe someplace where the whole restaurant won't hear you," he added with a touch of sarcasm.

It was then the realization seemed to hit the woman that the table was full of other people. She had been so focused in her attack on Randy, that she had not noticed or acknowledged them.

"We'll finish this later," she said giving Randy a look.

She turned and went to pull a chair so she could sit down, and behind her back Randy rolled his eyes.

She pulled her chair to the only available space, which was between Randy and Ted. Neither looked very happy about her sitting there.

She sat, looking around the table and said hello to the guys.

"Ted, Cody, John," she said giving them a half smile.

The three attempted to smile back convincingly.

"Hello Shawn."

Shawn nodded in response and stuffed a piece of bread in his mouth.

"Taker," she said looking at him.

"Janice," he said giving her a slight nod. His voice was level, and matched the blank expression on his face.

Her eyes went around the table, and it was then she noticed Kat sitting between Edge and Randy. Was she what Randy had meant when he said he had better things to do?

She turned and looked at Kat. "I don't think we've met," she said, her voice a little colder than necessary. "I'm Janice Redding, Randy's manager. And you are?"

Kat returned the look. So she was Randy's manager. Judging from the look the woman was giving her, it was obvious that she thought there was something going on between her and Randy. Her eyes twinkled with amusement.

She didn't, however, let that amusement reach her voice when she answered her. She matched the woman's coldness with indifference.

"Kaitlyn Taylor," she answered. "Randy didn't mention he had a manager," she added, looking at Randy.

Randy could see the mischief Kat was hiding. Janice was shooting darts at him. Knowing Janice the way he did, he knew that she probably thought Kat was some chick he had picked up. And from the way Kat was looking at Janice, Kat looked like she had guessed the same thing he had.

"How do you know each other?" Janice asked Kat, her voice still a bit chilly.

"We met a few days ago," Randy answered for her.

Janice continued on with Kat. "I _hate_ to break this to you honey," she said, her voice clearly showing the opposite, "but Randy doesn't stick with one girl. I'm sure he's told you the opposite. You're not the first," she added. "Especially down in these small southern towns, you girls don't seem to realize when you're being used. Not really too bright. So I'm just telling you, that whatever you think might happen with the two of you, it's not going to."

Kat had to restrain herself to keep from laughing out loud. At her left, it seemed like Edge was doing the same. Cena snickered and disguised it as a cough.

Kat turned to Randy with the same mischief in her eyes. "You…you…used me?" she asked feigning hurt. "How could you?" she asked. "You bastard," she snapped and delivered a slap to his face. She hit him very softly, but she did it in a way that made it sound like she had slapped him full force.

At this, John could no longer keep it in and began laughing. Once he started the rest of the table could no longer hold it in either. They all began to laugh.

Kat looked at Randy again. "Well Mr. Orton?" she asked, her voice full of mischief and laughter. "Haven't you anything to say?"

"Umm…ow?"

Kat laughed and then looked at Janice. "I hate to burst whatever bubble you had there, but there's nothing between me and him. We did meet a few days ago, but I think I've been bruising his ego ever since. And as for me being not too bright and from here, if you'd bothered listening to my accent, you'd have seen that I'm not."

Janice looked stunned. She didn't know what to say. Usually when she said something like that, the girl would get pissed off and leave. She had never seen Randy with a girl that he hadn't gotten with.

A second later the waiter returned with the check. The table had all opted out of having dessert. Now it just remained to go back to the motel.

"Are you coming back with us?" Edge asked her, breaking the silence.

Janice looked up. "I drove in my own car. I'm staying at the motel too. I'll see you there. We still need to talk," she added looking at Randy.

They all headed out into the parking lot, and she hopped into her car and left. Everyone else was standing outside for a moment, trying to decide who was going with who.

They divided up and got into the two trucks. Edge, Randy, and Kat went with Shawn, and the other guys went with Mark.

"I'm with lover boy I see," Kat said with a laugh. Her and Randy were in the backseat, with Shawn and Edge in the front.

Randy grinned. "That was pretty damn funny in there. I gotta say though, when I saw your hand coming at me, I thought you were going to deck me full force."

"I couldn't mess up your pretty face," she said with a grin. "Your fan girls would be pissed off."

"So you think my face is pretty?" he asked teasingly.

"Don't push your luck before I slap you for real," she returned with a wicked smile.

He held up his hands. "I don't think I'm gonna try and use you," he said. "You seem like the abusive lover type. Probably beat my ass on a regular basis."

Kat grinned. "You know it."

"I'd forget worrying about her, and start worrying about Janice. She looked pissed man," Edge said turning from the front.

"She's another story," Randy said shaking his head.

"You two don't get along?" Kat asked.

"It's not that we can't; she's just such a hard ass. And me? I'm more the laid back kinda guy," Randy said.

"So why did you hire her?" Kat asked curiously.

"I didn't. Vince did," he said. "He said he wanted someone that would be able to keep me in line," he added rolling his eyes. "So I got Janice. I can't be gone for a few hours without her calling to ask where I am. It's insane."

"You forgot to mention her less than friendly personality," Shawn added.

A half smile came to Randy's face. "Shawn doesn't like her very much," he said to Kat.

"I don't know what it is," Shawn said, "but there is something about that woman that doesn't click with me."

"How long has she been your manager?" Kat asked Randy.

"Six months," he answered. "And I've been going insane for almost all of it."

"Well I've got a feeling that you're going to be getting it tonight," Edge said with a grin. "She doesn't mess around."

Randy groaned. "Don't remind me."

"Aw cheer up Randy," Kat said. "Just be nice to her, and maybe she'll be nice too."

"Let's hope so."

"Well you're about to find out, cuz here we are," Shawn said pulling into the parking lot.

Taker had just pulled in as well and the other guys were getting out of his truck.

"Well I guess I'm off to deal with her," Randy said to the guys. "Night all." He turned to John. "Don't wait up man. You know what she's like when she gets on a roll."

Cena nodded. "Good luck man. You're gonna need it."

Randy turned and headed toward Janice's room. Cody said his head hurt and he wanted to go lie down, so he left too.

The rest of the group was left standing outside.

"I'm not tired yet. Any of you up for a card game?" John asked.

"I'm game," Ted answered.

"Why not?" Shawn said.

Edge thought for a minute. "Yea I guess I'm in too."

"You playing?" John asked Kat.

"Sure, why not?" she answered.

"I think I'm going to turn in," Taker said. "My back is bothering me a little." He turned to leave, and then stopped and turned back. "Here," he said. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a key and gave it to Kat. "One of you walk back with her when your game's over," he said turning to the other guys. "Night all."

Taker turned and headed to his room. He took two aspirin and quickly fell asleep. Meanwhile, Kat and the other guys had gone with John and were trying to decide what card game to play.

"How about gin?" Shawn asked.

"I don't know that one," Cena said. "What about Crazy Eights?"

"Nah," Edge said. "Why don't we just play poker?"

"Fine by me," John said.

"I'm good with that," Shawn said.

"I'll deal," Edge said. "Alright," he said after he had dealt the cards. "Place your bets."

"I don't have anything to bet," Kat said.

"We don't play for keeps," John said. "It's just for fun. Think of something, anything."

"We could play the other way," Edge said.

"What's that?" Kat asked.

"Whoever has the best hand gets to pick what the person with the worst hand has to do or give them. It's a hell of lot funnier."

"Yea," Ted said. "We played once, and I made Randy carry my stuff for a week. It was funny as hell," he said with a grin.

"So are you in?" Edge asked.

She shrugged. "I don't have much to lose. Why not?"

"Hold on there," Shawn said. "Before we start, can we agree not to make any of these requests anything illegal or insanely dangerous?"

"Of course," John said. "Bad experience?" he asked.

"Let's not go there," Shawn said shaking his head. "Let's just play."

When the first hand was over, John had won. "Alright," he said turning to Edge. "You lose, so I've got one for you."

"Bring it on Cena," Edge returned grinning.

John smiled mischievously. "I want you to go to Taker's room, knock on the door, yell "Housekeeping!" and then come back here."

"Are you insane? What if he wakes up? I'll be in pieces!"

"Don't forget, you agreed to play. Go," John said.

"I thought we said nothing dangerous," Edge said. "That's dangerous to my health!"

"You mean if he gets you," Ted said. "If you do it fast enough, he won't know it was you."

Edge groaned. "Alright, I'll do it. But if I get chokeslammed I'm coming for you John."

"How're we gonna know if he did it?" Shawn asked.

"I'll go with him," John said. "To make sure. Let's go."

The two left the room. "I hope he doesn't wake Mark up," Kat said.

"Because Taker'll kill him?" Ted asked.

"That and Mark might hurt his back if he goes after him."

"He might kill Edge, but you're worried about his back?" Shawn asked laughing.

"I'm sure he'd probably be pissed off, but I don't think he'll kill him. Besides, there's no sense in messing up what I already tried to fix," she said shrugging.

Two minutes later, Edge and John came running back into the room, closing the door behind them quickly.

"Did he wake up?" Ted asked.

"I don't think so," Edge said. "But I wasn't gonna stick around to find out."

John laughed. "I've never seen somebody run so fast."

"Your ass ran pretty fast too John, don't even try it," Edge said.

"Only cuz I didn't want to get stuck there. If he did wake up, he'd open the door and see me. I didn't want that to happen."

"Yea yea," Edge said.

Shawn, Ted and Kat were quietly snickering to themselves. "Can we just go back to the game?" Edge asked.

"You four keep playing, I'm going to bed," Shawn said. "I took one of those pills right before we left the restaurant, and I think it's knocking me out. My head feels heavy."

"Alright," John said.

"Night," said Ted and Edge.

"Night Shawn," said Kat.

Shawn left, leaving the other four to continue the game. John dealt another hand, and the game went on. This time Kat won, but Edge still had the worst hand.

"You're setting the deck Cena," he said. "You're fixing it so I lose."

"Don't blame me cuz you suck at poker," John said with a grin.

"Alright," Edge said turning to Kat, "what do you want me to do?"

She thought for a moment, then a wicked smile played across her face. "Come into the bathroom with me," she said mischievously.

He raised his eyebrows. "What?"

"Come," she said getting up.

Edge smirked. "If that's how you want it."

Ted and John looked at each other in disbelief and then at Kat. As she walked past them to the bathroom, she winked. She was up to something again.

The two went into the bathroom together, and a few minutes later the door opened. Kat walked out laughing hysterically.

"Come on out gorgeous," she said laughing.

"Hell no!" Edge answered.

"Come on, you lost fair and square."

"Fine," he mumbled. "I'm never gonna hear the end of this."

He walked out haltingly and Ted and John burst into laughter. She had put his hair in pigtails, tucked her flower behind his ear, and put lip gloss on him. He looked ridiculous.

"Oh my God," Ted said rolling with laughter. "You look hysterical."

Cena could barely get words out. "Oh God, stay right there. I gotta get my phone and take a picture. Randy's gotta see this."

Edge groaned as John took his picture. "Alright, alright. Have you three had enough fun at my expense?" he asked.

They laughed in response. "Okay, you can go take it off," Kat said. "Even though I think you look fabulous."

Ted and John burst out laughing again. Edge shot them a nasty look and went into the bathroom. He came out a few minutes later, his hair loose, the flower and lip gloss gone.

He sat back down and handed the flower back to Kat, who tucked it back into her hair. Ted and John were still snickering. Kat was smiling at him sweetly, her eyes full of mischief.

"You okay Goldilocks?" she asked.

"I'm fine," he said, his voice clearly showing the opposite. "I'm never gonna live this one down."

"Aw, it's okay! At least we didn't post it on the internet or something, right?" Kat asked.

"Yea, I guess," he said.

Cena grinned at him. "Of course now I can blackmail you."

Edge groaned again.

"Oh relax man, I'm not going to do anything," John said.

"Can we just get back to the game?" Edge asked.

"I'm gonna go," Ted said. "God forbid I should wake Cody up when I go in. I swear one day I'm gonna smack him. I'll see you guys in the morning."

Ted left, leaving John, Edge and Kat. Cena yawned suddenly. "I think that drink is finally catching up with me," he said with a laugh.

"Why don't you go to bed John?" Kat asked. "We'll go. I don't wanna keep you up if you're tired."

"Yea, I think I'm going to sleep," he said getting up and stretching. "How about you two?"

"I'm not tired," Edge said. He turned to Kat. "You wanna finish the game in my room? I still have to get you back for that _lovely_ makeover."

She grinned. "Bring it on Goldilocks."

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Author's Note: Hope you guys like this chapter & I'll have the next one up soon. Please review! =)


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Edge picked up the deck of cards and they left John's room. Once they got to Edge's room, they sat across from each other on the bed. Kat was leaning back on the headboard, and Edge was at the end of the bed.

"I'll deal," he said. "I still think John was setting me up with those cards."

Kat laughed. "Go ahead."

He dealt the hand and the two played. "How did you come up with that?" he asked her.

"You mean the makeover? I don't know. I was looking at your hair, and I thought that you would look funny with pigtails." She shrugged. "The flower and the lip gloss were just icing on the cake," she added with a smile.

"Icing she says," he mumbled.

"Aw, I thought you looked pretty," she said with a playful smile.

He rolled his eyes. "Yea, pretty like a cross dresser."

She laughed. "You don't need the makeover anyway."

"No?" he asked.

"You're pretty just the way you are."

He laughed. "How did I go from Rated R to pretty?"

"Ok, maybe pretty wasn't the right word," she said.

"And what is?" he asked, his eyes full of mischief.

"Would it help your bruised ego if I changed it to hot?" she asked teasingly.

He grinned. "That's much better."

She rolled her eyes. "You're too much," she said shaking her head with a smile.

"You're putting up with me, so I guess you don't mind," he returned, still grinning. "And look at that, you lost this hand."

Kat looked at the cards and realized he was right. She groaned. "Alright Goldilocks, let me have it. What's it going to be?"

He tilted his head and looked at her. "Hmmm," he mused, going through different options in his head. "I'll tell you what. Let me sleep on it. I want it to be something good. You'll find out."

"Why do I have a feeling I'm not going to like this very much?" she asked.

He grinned and crawled up to sit next to her. "Who knows? Maybe you'll like it more than you think," he said with a smirk.

She bit her lip. "I think I'd better head off to bed."

He smirked again. "You sure? You could stay," he added wickedly.

"I'll go," she said. "Thanks all the same." She stood and headed for the door. "Goodnight."

"Wait a minute. I'm supposed to walk back with you, remember?"

"I'll be fine. Don't worry."

He shook his head. "If you say so. Well, if anything, scream really loud."

"So you can come save me Prince Charming?" she asked teasingly.

He laughed. "Anything for a damsel in distress."

She grinned. "Goodnight Goldilocks…I mean Prince Charming."

"Night."

Kat left his room and started to walk toward Mark's. It was late, and there was no one else out. She turned around a corner and felt a hand grab her shoulder.

She jumped and whirled around. "Randy! You almost gave me a heart attack."

He smiled. "Sorry. I just left Janice's room, and I saw you walking. I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's ok," she said shaking her head. "Is everything ok?" she asked.

"Yea, I kind of followed your advice."

"What do you mean?"

"About being nice. She didn't let me have it as bad as usual. She was still in a pretty nasty mood though."

"Well you're still in one piece right?" Kat asked with a smile.

"For now," he said. "By the way, why are you walking around alone? Why didn't one of the morons walk you back?"

"Ted and Shawn left a long time ago. Then John wanted to go to bed. It was just me and Adam playing cards in his room."

"And he let you wander out alone?" Randy raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not completely defenseless. Geez. Besides, he offered, and I said no."

"Adam's lucky you ran into me and not Taker. He'd have his head for leaving you walking alone."

"Mark did ask the guys to walk me back," Kat said with a laugh. "I'm fine though. I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."

Randy laughed. "Of course. So who won the card game?"

"Well Adam won the last hand against me. But he lost all the other ones. John'll tell you all about it. It was pretty damn funny."

Randy grinned. "You guys got him bad didn't you?"

Kat grinned in return. "Definitely." They came to the door of Mark's room. "Alright Randy. I'll see you in the morning. I'm gonna try to slip in without waking him up."

Randy nodded. "Try not to. He's not the most cheerful person when he's sleep deprived. Night."

He turned and headed toward his and John's room. Kat gently eased the key into the door and went in. The room was pitch black. Mark had blocked out all the sources of light. Kat smiled to herself. He was just like her. He couldn't sleep when there was any light.

Carefully she made her way across the room and rummaged around in her bag until she found what felt like her pajamas. She went into the bathroom and changed clothes without bothering to turn on the light. She bunched her clothes up into a pile, and put them by her bag. She then cautiously felt her way to the bed and slipped under the blanket.

She was on the wrong side of the bed, but it didn't matter. She was asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. She slept fairly peacefully through the night, her dreams pleasant.

She was awakened the next morning by the sound of a car alarm outside. Her mind drifted into consciousness, but shortly after it started, the alarm stopped. Now quiet again, she tried to go back to sleep. But it was no use. Her brain was awake now, and it slowly began to wake the rest of her body.

She opened her eyes, and found the room was still dark. Then she remembered that the light had been blocked out. She realized that she had drifted over to the other side of the bed. Her back was to Mark's chest, his arm wound around her. In another instant she realized that her own arm was wrapped around his. _I've really got to stop waking up in these positions,_ she thought to herself with a laugh.

She gently untangled her arm, and her felt Mark begin to stir. A few seconds later she saw his eyes peek open. His eyes wandered around the room until they finally settled on her. He blinked and confusion played across his face.

"Umm, good morning?"

"Morning," he answered. He raised an eyebrow as if to inquire why she was so close to him. Then he realized he was holding her. He pulled his arm back, letting her loose.

Now free from his grasp, she sat up and stretched. She moved over more, back to the other side of the bed to give him some room. He sat up.

"Sorry about that," she said. "I usually sleep on that side. I guess I rolled my way over," she said with a smile.

"It's fine," he said. "I didn't even realize I was holding onto you."

"That's ok. You've got a hell of a grip, by the way."

That made him laugh. "Death grip?"

She nodded and laughed too. "That's a fitting description." She stretched again. "Do you want to shower first? Or can I?"

He shrugged. "Go ahead."

She smiled and bounced out of the bed, bringing an amused smile to Mark's face. "I'll try not to take forever," she said grabbing some clothes. She disappeared into the bathroom and a few seconds later, the sound of water running could be heard.

Taker in the meantime had gotten out of bed and was carefully stretching out his back. It felt fine. He didn't feel any kinks or tension. That was good. The last thing he wanted was a pulled muscle.

He went over to the dresser and pulled out his phone. There was only one message. It was from management saying that they still hadn't worked out the scheduling problem. Big shocker, he thought to himself. He deleted the message and plugged the phone in. Just then there was a knock at the door. It was the desk clerk.

"Yea?" Taker asked.

"I have a message for you Mr. Callaway. I hope I didn't wake you?"

Taker shook his head. "You didn't. What's the message?"

"Well, the janitor down at the school asked me to tell you that if you and your guys want to use the gymnasium there you can. The school's closed out for the summer. They have a wrestling ring in the gym. He asked me to relay the message to you."

"Well, that's very helpful of him. Tell him we'll be there later."

The clerk nodded and walked off. Taker was a little surprised, but glad all the same. The guys could use a round of practice. Who knew how long it would take management to work out the problem.

Kat came out of the bathroom and tapped him on the shoulder. "Your turn," she said. He jumped a little. "Oops. I guess I snuck up on you again," she said with a mischievous smile.

"Little ghost," he said shaking his head.

She smiled again and sat on the edge of the bed. She began pulling on her sneakers. It was then Mark noticed she was wearing jogging shorts and a tank top.

"I'm gonna go for a walk," she said, tying her laces. "I'll be back."

Mark nodded. "Don't get lost in the woods," he said with amusement.

"I won't."

She left the room and started walking toward the path they had been on yesterday. She wanted to go back to that field. She came around a corner when she walked into Edge.

She looked up. "Oops, sorry. I guess I wasn't paying attention."

He smiled. "Apparently not." He looked at her. "Going running?"

"Just walking."

"Mind if I come?" he asked. He was wearing running clothes too.

She shrugged. "If you want."

"So which way are we going?" he asked.

"This way," she said leading him through the trees.

"I'm guessing you got to your room ok last night."

"Yea, I ran into Randy when I was going. He walked me to the room."

"How was he?"

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I mean was he ticked off or anything? Usually Janice gets him really riled up."

"He was okay. He wasn't mad or anything."

"That's good," Edge said.

"He was asking about the card game," she said, her voice mischievous.

Edge groaned. "Wait until he sees that picture. I'll never hear the end of it."

Kat laughed. "That's gonna be pretty funny."

"Laugh it up," he said. "Just remember that you lost to me last night, so you still owe me one."

She bit her lip. "I was hoping you'd forgotten about that."

He smirked. "Not a chance."

"So have you decided yet?"

"I've got a couple of ideas," he said wickedly.

"Such as?"

"How do you feel about nude modeling?" he asked with a grin.

She smacked his shoulder. "Put it out of your head."

He laughed. "I'm just teasing you. I wouldn't do that." Kat relaxed slightly. "That would be too easy," he added with a smirk.

She turned and looked at him. "I've got a bad feeling…"

He grinned. "It's like I told you last night. You might like it more than you think." He stepped closer to her and put his arm around her shoulder as they walked.

She looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. "You think so?"

He grinned in response.

"If you say so Goldilocks."

She shrugged his hand off her shoulder and kept walking. Edge decided he felt like bothering her, so he put it back.

"Can't keep your hands to yourself?" she asked, looking sideways at him.

"They can't help it. They attach themselves to whatever they're attracted to," he said mischievously, moving his hand from her shoulder to around her waist.

"So that means that my hands can go wherever they're attracted to too?" she asked.

He grinned and shrugged.

"So if my fist is attracted to your pretty face, that's fine?" she asked innocently.

His eyes widened, and he laughed, pulling his hand away. "You're a tough little cookie aren't you?"

She smiled. "I try."

"If I hadn't let go, would you have hit me?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I don't know. Probably not."

A smirk began tugging at his lips. "So you didn't mind?"

"I honestly don't think you're the type to try something really stupid. Besides, where I live, you get felt up on the subway much worse than that."

"Point taken. But you kind of dodged my question there."

"What question?" she asked innocently, before turning suddenly and going off through the trees. Edge shook his head and chased after her. She had turned and gone toward the field, just like she had done the day before. When he caught up to her, she ran and dropped herself right by the flowers. He sat down next to her on the ground shaking his head.

"Is this where you ran off to yesterday?" he asked looking around.

She nodded. "Uh huh." She laid back in the grass looking up at the clear blue sky.

"So are you going to answer me now?" he asked, mischief creeping back into his voice.

She rolled over onto her stomach, and began playing with the petals of one of the flowers in front of her. "Answer what?"

"Did you mind?" he asked, the smirk back on his face.

"Why would I?" she asked in return.

"I dunno," he said still smirking. "You get tense whenever I get close; I figured it must bother you."

He laid down beside her, and she moved over slightly.

"So it does bother you," he said seeing her movement.

"And if it does?"

"Then that's gonna make things a lot more interesting."

"Is it?" she asked, turning onto her side to face him. "Don't flatter yourself Goldilocks," she said, her voice teasing.

He raised an eyebrow. "I think it was you that called me hot last night. Or is my mind playing tricks on me?"

"Maybe I was being nice."

"Or maybe you think I'm just irresistible," he said mischievously.

"Oh brother." She rolled her eyes. "I think you're just delusional."

"Delusional? Really? We'll see about that." He sat up looking down at her.

She sat up. "You're just a delusional little cross dresser," she said with a wicked smile.

"What did you just call me?"

"What're you gonna do tough guy?" she asked shoving his shoulder playfully.

He smirked and grabbed her hands. "You shouldn't taunt people bigger than you."

She smirked back. "And you shouldn't underestimate people." With that, she threw all of her weight forward and knocked him backwards, pinning him to the ground.

Surprise crossed his face and then he laughed. "Not bad," he said with a grin.

"Thanks," she said grinning in return, still not letting him up.

"I wasn't talking about the move. I was talking about the view," he said smirking.

Kat looked confused, but then realized that from the angle he was at, he had a pretty clear view down her shirt. Her face colored.

"Now, as nice as it is, I think I'd rather be on top," he said grabbing her wrists. He quickly flipped her over and pinned her instead. "Now what were you saying before?" he asked, still smirking.

Kat tried and failed to get her hands free. "No fair," she said. "You've got height and weight on me. I can't get loose."

He leaned close to her. "That's the point," he said wickedly. "Now where were we? Oh yea, I think you were calling me a cross dresser?"

"Okay, I take it back! Now will you let me up?"

"Hmmm, this is gonna cost you," he said, his expression playful.

She groaned. "What do you want?"

"Instead of you owing me one, now you owe me two. Deal?"

She groaned again. "Alright, just let me up."

He grinned and let go of her hands. She sat up and gave him an evil look. "That wasn't fair you know."

"I know. But I'm not the Ultimate Opportunist for nothing," he said shrugging. "I'll give it to you though, you caught me by surprise. You really knocked me over."

She gave him a half smile.

"It's okay though. I really didn't mind." He smirked again. "I'd rather get pinned by you than by any of the guys."

Kat blushed again. "Thank you?"

He grinned. "The view was very nice."

She bit her lip and involuntarily crossed her arms. He laughed. "Now why would you do that?" he asked.

"You're really too much," Kat said. "Somebody needs to teach you a lesson."

He grinned. "Do I need to pin you again?"

"Oh shut up," she mumbled. "It's bad enough you got a free show, but now I owe you double. Me and my big mouth," she said running a hand over her face.

"I'm really going to enjoy coming up with something for you." She stuck her tongue out at him and he laughed again. "I think we should head back though. The other guys are probably looking for me."

They got up and started walking back. Kat was mentally cursing herself; now she owed him twice over. Edge, on the other hand, was mentally smirking. He was really getting to her, and he was enjoying every minute of it.

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Author's Note: Thanks to all my reviewers. I hope you guys like this chapter! Please review and let me know what you think! I'll have more up soon. =)


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

When Edge and Kat got back to the motel they found the rest of the guys outside waiting for them in the parking lot.

"Geez, we were about to send out a search party," Randy said. "Where were you guys?"

"We took a walk," Kat said shrugging. "So what's up?"

"We're going to go practice."

"Ohhh." She turned to head to Mark's room when Randy stopped her.

"You're not coming?" he asked.

"I thought you guys were going to practice. I don't want to get in the way."

"Don't be silly," Shawn said. "Of course you can come. Besides, somebody has to be our audience."

Kat smiled. "Then I'd love to come."

Just then Taker came walking out from the clerk's office. "I see we found the two missing people," he said looking at Kat and Edge. He faced Edge. "Where were you?"

"I saw her going for a walk, and I went with her," he said with a shrug.

Taker nodded. "Next time you decide to disappear, tell one of us. I was thinking we'd have to leave without you. I knew where she was, but we had no clue about you."

"Sorry Deadman. I didn't think we'd be gone that long."

"It's fine." He turned. "Alright, let's go."

They divided up and got into their respective trucks. Mark and John were driving. Shawn, Randy and Kat went with Taker.

Kat hopped into the front seat with Mark. "So where are we going?" she asked.

"The local high school," he answered. "Apparently they have a ring."

"Sounds good," Shawn said. "I feel all stiff."

Shawn and Randy quickly digressed into a conversation about a movie that they had both seen.

"So did you have a nice walk?" Mark asked Kat. "Or did our resident blonde idiot bother you?"

Kat gave him a half smile. "It was fine." She didn't mention what had happened in the field. She had a feeling it would make him get angry with Edge. She quickly changed the subject. "Has the mechanic called about the car or anything?"

Taker shook his head. "No, I haven't heard from him. Anxious to leave?"

"Not at all," she answered. "I left my phone and iPod in the glove compartment. I don't really need them, but it would be nice to have them back."

"If you want, we can head by the mechanic shop and get them out later."

"That would be perfect."

"Well here we are," Taker said pulling up in front of a high school.

The school seemed well taken care of on the outside. The building itself wasn't terribly large. It seemed like the right size for the town it was in.

He parked the truck and everyone got out. Cena pulled up alongside him and his truck emptied out too.

The group walked into the building and were met by the janitor. He was a man in his mid forties. Kat was reminded of the sheriff. This man had a tired look to him just like the sheriff had.

"Hi there," he said. "I'm Len, the school janitor. The gym's right through there. You all can stay as long as you want, just lock up the door behind you." That being said, he handed a key to Taker and walked off.

Edge looked after the man as he walked. "Well that was weird."

"No kidding," Cody said. "But at least we get to practice."

Taker walked into the gym. The gym was very large and spacious. There was a ring on the right side of it. Outside the ring, and through the rest of the gym, the floors were padded with mat. Obviously this high school supported wrestling and gymnastics, Kat thought to herself.

"Alright," Taker said. "Randy, I know you and John were scheduled to fight, so you two can use the ring. The rest of us can work on the mat."

Randy and John nodded and climbed into the ring. Both carefully checked the ropes and sturdiness of the structure before starting to practice. The two began working out how their match would progress. The rest of the guys in the meantime were stretching.

While they were doing that, Kat went looking around the gym. In the storage closet she found weights, medicine balls, jump ropes and other kinds of exercise equipment. Another door led to the showers, and the third door was locked. When she had finished her search, she came back to the guys and sat down on the bleachers watching.

"Why're you all the way over there?" Shawn asked. "Why don't you come sit here?"

Kat shrugged and walked over to him. She dropped herself down on the mat next to him and sat cross legged watching him stretch.

Once they were all done stretching, the guys paired off to practice. Ted paired with Cody, and Edge paired with Taker. Shawn looked around and pretended to pout.

"Well look, I'm all alone," he said in a sad voice. "Unless of course, you want to help me doll?" he asked, playfully batting his eyelashes.

"You're kidding?" Kat asked. "I don't know if that's such a good idea."

"Ah relax, you don't have to do anything complicated. And besides, I wouldn't really hit you."

"No Sweet Chin Music?" she asked with a grin.

"Not to you," he returned, grinning back.

She smiled. "Then I'll help. What do you want me to do?"

Shawn thought for a moment. "Let me practice reversals and pins on you. That way I don't have to hit, and you won't get hurt."

She nodded. "Okay. What should I do?"

He looked at her. "I want you to run at me like you're trying to knock me down."

She shrugged. "Okay." She did it, and as soon as she got within an arm's reach, Shawn grabbed her and flipped her over onto her back. Her back made a smacking sound as it hit the mat.

The rest of the guys stopped what they were doing and turned to look. Even Randy and John stopped and leaned on the ropes to see what was going on.

Shawn looked a little concerned. He wondered if he had flipped her too hard. She was a lot lighter than the guys were. Taker left Edge and walked over.

"You alright?" he asked kneeling beside her.

She sat up and started to laugh. "That was fun! Can we do it again?" she asked looking over Mark's shoulder at Shawn.

Taker shook his head and laughed. The rest of the guys did too and then went back to their practicing. Shawn sat down next to her. "You sure you're okay? That didn't hurt?"

"Are you kidding? That was so much fun. Can we do another one?"

Shawn shrugged and Taker looked at him. "Just take it easy on her Shawn. You don't want to break any of her little bones."

Kat looked at him. "Was that a short joke?" she asked and then stuck her tongue out at him.

Taker laughed again. "Maybe it was," he said wryly.

"That's not very nice you know," she said and poked his shoulder.

Taker looked at Shawn, amusement crossing his face. He turned back to Kat. "Are you going to beat me up for calling you short?" he asked. "I feel very threatened. Don't you Shawn?"

Shawn laughed in return. "I think there's too much size difference."

Kat shot him a look and turned back to Mark. "5'5 isn't short you know. We can't all be abnormal like you," she said and stuck her tongue out again.

Shawn laughed. "I think she just insulted you Deadman."

Taker nodded. "I think so. It's not very nice to insult people bigger than you," he said. "Or very smart."

Kat shrugged. "I'm not scared of you. And just to prove it, why don't you do a move on me?"

Taker looked at her. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not? Shawn did and I'm fine."

"I'm not Shawn. I don't want to hurt you. You're small," he said.

"Again with the short jokes?" she asked and playfully shoved his shoulder.

Shawn started to laugh. "She's really messing with you."

"Ah shut up Shawn. She's not much threat to me anyway," he said and then smiled at Kat.

Kat looked at him and grinned in return. "Is that right?" She promptly turned her body and lunged at him. Just like she had done to Edge, she threw all her weight against him. It worked. She had caught him off guard and he fell backward. He landed flat on his back with her on top of him.

Mark was stunned. He hadn't expected that at all. The rest of the guys paused for a second. They were surprised. Had she seriously just pinned down the Deadman? Shawn was laughing uproariously at the surprised look on Taker's face.

Kat grinned down at him. "No threat huh?"

Mark smiled. "That wasn't bad. But if I had been ready, that wouldn't have happened." He studied the position they were in. "So can I get up now?"

She shook her head mischievously. "Nope sorry."

"Why do people always do this the hard way?" he asked. He put his hands on her waist and easily stood up holding her. He held her up off the floor, her feet dangling.

Kat looked down at the floor, and then at him. "Uh oh…You're not going to slam me or anything are you?"

He smiled. "No, I'm not. But this is why you shouldn't mess with people bigger than you. Do you want me to put you down now?"

She looked around. "Actually I feel tall up here. I kind of like it."

He laughed and then gently put her down. He looked and saw that Shawn had gone over to Edge. The two of them were practicing with each other now. "I lost my opponent," he said.

Kat looked and saw that Edge had Shawn in a headlock, which Shawn was working out of. "I could help you," she said.

Taker raised an eyebrow. "You think so?"

"Please? I promise I'll do what you tell me."

He studied her and then shrugged. "Ah why not. But if you're going to help, you should stretch out too. You might pull a muscle or something."

She nodded. "Okay."

"You do that. I'm going to go see what's in the storage room." He walked off leaving her to stretch.

Kat thought for a moment, and then eased herself into a yoga position. She hadn't done yoga in a while, but she still remembered all the poses she had learned. She closed her eyes and started. She slowly stretched out her arms and legs, and then she began to stretch out her back and core muscles. She had just pushed herself up into a bridge, when Mark came back over to her.

He tilted his head sideways and looked at her. "Very interesting," he said.

Her eyes opened and she eased herself back down to the mat and looked at him. She sat up. "Okay, I'm all stretched out."

"You do yoga?" he asked.

"I used to. I haven't done it in a while, but you really don't forget. Have you ever done it?" she asked.

He shook his head. "I can do a lot of things, and I can probably manage most of those poses. I'm not too sure about that last one though. I don't think I'm that flexible."

Kat smiled. "You never know until you try."

"I think I'll pass," he said.

She shrugged. "So what do you want me to do?"

He thought for a moment. "You can help me with reversals, like what you started with Shawn."

"So you want me to grab you?"

"Pretty much."

She nodded. "This is going to be ridiculous though," she said with a laugh. She grabbed his hand and twisted it behind his back. She noticed he wasn't resisting her, and that he let her do it. He glanced over his shoulder at her.

"Ready?" he asked.

"I think?"

He nodded and promptly reversed her hold and put her in one of his own. He had both her arms and was holding them behind her back. He did it so quickly that Kat barely had time to blink.

"Whoa!" she exclaimed. "That was fast!"

He smiled and let go of her arms. "That was too easy. Hmmm…" He thought for a minute and then sat down on the mat. "Maybe it would help if I wasn't towering over you."

She frowned playfully. "Another short joke?"

He grinned. "Call it motivation for your attack."

She smiled wickedly. "That works." She went around behind him, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"You really are a wrestling fan aren't you? Putting me in a chokehold," he said with a laugh.

"I've got a feeling this isn't going to end well for me," she said, readying herself for his reversal.

She was right. He reached around and grabbed her waist. He leaned forward, flipped her over his head, and planted her down flat on the mat.

Kat lay flat on her back looking at him upside down. He titled his head and looked at her. "You okay?"

She laughed. "That one was fun too. It's fun being flipped over like that."

Taker shook his head with a laugh. "You'd be a funny opponent, laughing at every move."

She shrugged. "I have a feeling you did that very softly though."

He nodded. "Like I said, we don't need you to break your little bones."

Kat was plotting her next move when Randy called to Taker from the ring.

"Hey Deadman, can you come here a second?" he asked.

Taker rose and walked over, Kat following behind him. "What is it?" he asked.

"Does this look alright?" Randy asked. "Or does it look weird?" He then proceeded to do a complicated move set on John, who took all of it without a single groan.

"It looks good. You'll have the fans going for sure," Taker answered.

"I'm gonna go get us some water," John said sliding out of the ring. "I'll be back."

Taker climbed into the ring with Randy, and gestured for Kat to come in with him. Once she got in, she hopped up and down.

"It's bouncier than I thought," she said. She moved over to a corner, and watched as Mark and Randy tried out different moves, talking to each other the whole time.

She watched for a while, then John came back with water bottles for all the guys. He passed them out and then jumped back into the ring.

"There's water for you guys on the bleachers," he said, and then went over to Kat in the corner.

He smiled playfully. "Do you wanna help me beat up Randy?"

She smiled. "I dunno about that. I don't need to get RKO'd."

Randy heard her and walked over. "I thought the RKO was your favorite move? You don't want to see it first hand?" he asked with a grin.

"Seeing it and experiencing it are two different things," she said. "And the RKO is my favorite finisher, not my favorite move."

"So what's your favorite move?" John asked.

"Old school," she said grinning at Mark, who smiled in return.

"You should show it to her Deadman," Randy said.

Taker shrugged. "If you want," he said turning to Kat, "I can show you."

"Are you kidding? I'd love it!" she said excitedly.

Taker laughed. "Alright, calm down. Now watch." He gestured for Randy to come toward him. He took Randy's hand and proceeded to do the move slowly so she could watch. "Most of this move is about balance. Holding your opponent's hand is part of the move, but it also helps to keep you steady on the rope." He released Randy and stepped toward Kat.

"That was awesome," she said.

Mark smiled at her. "Yeah? Do you want to try it for yourself?"

"That would be fun, but…" She looked at the rope and then looked at the height of the ring from the floor. "What if I fall?" she asked.

"You have the three of us here," John said. "We won't let you hit the floor."

"Then I'll try," she said. John slid out of the ring and stood on the floor waiting to catch her if she fell. Randy went to the corner and held the rope steady. Kat went to the corner and climbed up. She sat on the turnbuckle unsure of how to balance herself.

"Stand up," Taker said. She carefully stood on the second turnbuckle and waited.

"Good," Taker said. He came close and took her hand. "Now climb to the top."

Kat was afraid she would fall, but Taker had a firm grip on her hand, so she shakily stepped up to the top.

"Very good," he said. "Now step away from the corner and onto the rope."

She took a deep breath and took a tiny step forward. The rope moved beneath her, and Randy quickly tightened his hold to steady it. She took another step and was standing on the rope.

Taker looked at her. "You're not bad at this," he said. "You've got a pretty decent sense of balance."

Kat knew her ability to stand on the rope was only half of her own skill. The other half was Mark's tight grip on her hand that prevented her from falling. He was just trying to make her relax.

"Now what?" she asked.

"Walk forward a few steps, then jump down and hit me," he said. "You know what Old School looks like."

She swallowed hard. She was starting to rethink her idea of trying the move, but it was too late to chicken out now. She took three more careful steps, all equally shaky, and then jumped down, her hand barely catching Mark on the shoulder.

She landed on her feet, breathed a sigh of relief, and was surprised to see Mark laughing. "You did good," he said. "That wasn't bad for a first shot."

"Yea," said Randy. "That was pretty good."

She smiled. "It was a lot of fun, even though I was absolutely terrified."

"Your face didn't show it," John said, climbing back in. "You just looked focused."

"Alright, you did it to me. Now I want to see you do that to Randy," Taker said.

Randy and Kat both turned. "What?" they said simultaneously.

"I want to see if she did it right," he said. "I can't watch if she's doing it to me. So you're up Randy. Let her do the move to you. Besides, it's always easier the second time."

Randy shrugged. "I'm fine, as long as she doesn't try to kill me," he said with a grin.

Kat laughed. "I wouldn't dream of it." She went back to the corner and climbed the turnbuckle. She took Randy's hand and stepped onto the rope. John steadied it and she stepped out. She had taken two steps, and was about to take a third, when she began to lose her balance. Randy tried and failed to steady her, and she fell backwards out of the ring.

Expecting to hit the floor, she was very surprised when Mark caught her. She had been so focused on keeping her balance that she hadn't noticed him get out of the ring.

He caught her like a baby and held her. "You okay?"

She sighed in relief. "I thought I was about to hit the floor. Thanks."

He smiled. "Anytime." He put her down gently on the floor.

"You okay?" Randy asked from the ring.

"I'm fine," she said looking up at him.

"You two go back to each other," Taker said. "I'll deal with our little falling angel."

Randy and John laughed and then turned back to work with each other. Kat turned and looked at Mark.

"You're really turning into my rescuer aren't you?" she said with a smile. "That's the second time you saved me from a crash."

He shrugged. "Like I said, no need for you to hurt those little bones."

She smiled up at him. "I think I've had my fill of being up on the ropes," she said. "I think I'll stay on the ground."

Taker laughed. "It gets easier with practice."

"Yea? How many times did you fall off when you were learning?"

"Loads," he said. "I used to be black and blue all over when I first started. After a while, you learn how to balance. And of course, you learn how to fall so you don't hurt yourself."

She laughed. "I just can't picture you tumbling out of the ring like that."

"Trust me, it happens more often than you think."

"Either way, I'll be staying on the floor. I think I'll just watch."

Taker nodded. "I'm going to get some weights from the closet. Why don't you see what the other guys are doing?"

She nodded. "Okay." He walked off across the gym, and Kat made her way over to the other guys.

.

.

**Author's Note****: **Hope you liked this chapter. Please review! I'll have more coming soon. Let me know what you guys think. =)


	12. Chapter 12

Kat walked over to Shawn and Edge, who were the closest to her on the mat.

"Hello gorgeous," she said mischievously as she came close.

The two paused and turned to look at her.

Edge smirked at her. "Gorgeous?"

She smiled back wickedly. "I was talking to Shawn."

"Ouch," Shawn said grinning at Edge. "I guess she doesn't like you," he said laughing.

Edge shot him a look, and Shawn continued to laugh.

"Lighten up," Kat said. "I'm just teasing."

"So you think he's gorgeous too?" Shawn asked.

"Not as much as you," Kat said teasingly, and Shawn laughed again.

"You're a real boost for me, you know that?" he said. "Making fun of him like that."

Kat smiled. "I try."

Edge looked at her. "You'd better be nice. Remember?" he said a wicked look coming into his eyes.

"Gosh, can't even tease people these days. No Goldilocks, I haven't forgotten that I owe you. I probably just added fuel to the fire by making fun of you, but what can I say?" She shrugged. "I'm mischievous; it's part of my personality."

"That mischief got you into trouble though didn't it?" he asked with a smirk.

Shawn looked at the two of them confusedly. "Did I miss something?" he asked. "What trouble?"

"It's nothing," Kat said quickly. She didn't want to get Shawn involved.

Shawn tilted his head and studied her. "Did you lose a bet with him or something?" he asked. "Or is this about the card game?"

"A little of both," Kat said.

Shawn looked at Edge, who now had a wicked grin spreading across his face. "Oh god, what did you lose?" he asked.

"Two anythings," Edge answered for her. "She owes me double," he said, his voice mischievous.

Shawn looked at Kat and shook his head. "Tsk tsk, you're in for it. He's a bad one to lose a bet to."

"I'm starting to see that," she said. "But maybe he'll find it in himself to let me off easy." She looked at Edge with a hopeful expression.

He smiled. "No worries, I'm not going to make it anything too out there. And like I keep telling you, you might like it."

Kat looked at him disbelievingly. "I dunno about that."

Shawn turned to Edge. "Just watch yourself. You don't want to get yourself into trouble."

"Relax Shawn," Edge said. "Have a little faith in me."

"I wish I could," Shawn said with a laugh. "But you're something else."

"I'll leave you guys to it," Kat said. "I'm going to see what Ted and Cody are doing over there."

The two nodded and went back to grappling with each other. Kat walked over to Ted and Cody. Ted had Cody down on the mat in a submission move.

"Ouch," she said tilting her head looking at the two. "You okay Cody?"

Cody looked at her from his twisted position. "Not really. He's messing with me, and he won't let go!"

Ted started to laugh. "Well if you'd figure out how to reverse it, you wouldn't be stuck would you? Besides I'm not even putting that much pressure on."

"How can he think with you twisting him like that?" Kat asked.

"That's what I said!" Cody said, struggling to get free. "Let me go Teddy."

"Aw let him go Ted," Kat said helping Cody plead.

Ted looked at her and then at Cody. "You know Code, you're lucky she's taking your side." Easily he released his grip on Cody. Cody rolled away and sat on the mat.

"You okay?" Kat asked sitting beside him.

Cody nodded. "I'm fine. Ted was just being a smart ass like always."

"You two are too cute together," she said with a laugh.

"Cute?" asked Ted, sitting on her other side. "How's that?"

"You're like two little boys that play and fight with each other like brothers." She looked at the two of them. "Okay maybe not little…"

"Yea well, Ted's the bully brother for sure," Cody said.

"I'm the bully?" Ted asked. "You're the one that always has to get his way."

"That's cuz I'm dashing," Cody said with a grin. "And you're not."

Kat started to laugh. "Ouch."

"What does that make me then?" Ted asked shooting Cody a look.

"Hmmm, I don't know. You're definitely not dashing though."

"Is that right?" Ted asked. "Maybe if I put you back in that hold you'll change your tune." He started to reach over Kat to get to Cody, when Kat caught his hand.

"Easy there. He's just messing with you," she said looking at him. "Besides, he's right. You're not dashing."

Ted gave her a look of disbelief and was about to open his mouth to reply. She held up a hand to silence him.

"You're not dashing," she repeated. "You're priceless," she said, and she smiled.

Ted grinned. "That's more like it."

Kat laughed. "You're both pretty. Don't argue."

Cody smiled. "Pretty and dashing," he said. "I can live with that."

"I'll take priceless any day," Ted said. He turned to Kat. "You're pretty good at breaking up arguments."

"I get a lot of practice," she replied. "My kids argue all the time, and somebody has to play mediator."

"Your kids?" Ted asked confusedly.

"I mean the kids I work with," Kat said shaking her head with a smile. "I'm a teacher remember?"

"Ohhhhh. I was about to say, you didn't mention having kids," Ted said.

She laughed. "No I don't have kids. I don't even have a boyfriend."

"No?" Cody asked.

"I tend to really throw myself into my work. It doesn't leave much time for anything else."

"We know what you mean," Cody said. "Our job is all year round. You can get really caught up, and kinda leave other people out."

Kat nodded. "Yea. That's why I decided to take the road trip in the first place. I never had the time for it before, so once I got the chance I jumped on it."

"Bet it turned out different than you thought," Ted said with a smile.

"No kidding," she said. "What are the odds of me running into all of you guys? It's pretty incredible. But I think I'll let you guys get back to your practice. I've held you up long enough."

"That's okay," Cody said. "You saved me from Ted," he said laughing.

Kat laughed too. "What a terrible fate," she said teasingly. Ted looked at her and grinned. "Don't break his dashing face now," she said to Ted.

"No promises," Ted returned with another grin.

Kat stood up and decided to walk around. The rest of the guys were deeply involved in their practice. Mark was nowhere to be seen. She guessed that he was still rummaging around in the storage closet. She walked out of the gym and went exploring around the building.

Most of the classrooms and doors were locked. She wasn't too surprised. She knew that most things got locked up when a school closed for the summer. She headed out the back door of the building and was surprised to see a pond, with a floating dock.

She walked out onto the dock and sat down. The water was very still, and the dock was hardly moving at all. She laid out on it and put her hands behind her head. She gazed up at the sky for a moment, and then closed her eyes. It was very still and quiet.

She relaxed and felt tension leave her body, tension she didn't even realize had been there. She sighed and exhaled deeply. It was very calm. She probably would have drifted off if she hadn't felt a hand touch her shoulder. She shot up, her eyes flying open.

"Who the hell?" She turned and looked. "Mark?"

Taker looked at her, amusement crossing his face. "Not so nice to be snuck up on is it?" he asked with a smile, sitting beside her.

"You almost gave me a heart attack," she said shaking her head. "Who's the ghost now?" she asked him. He grinned in response. "How did you sneak up like that? I didn't hear anything, and I didn't even feel this thing move," she said gesturing to the dock.

"I'm not the Deadman for nothing," he replied with another grin. "I didn't mean to make you jump though."

"You sure?" she asked. "Cuz it kinda looks like you did."

"And if I did?" he asked.

"Then that's not very nice," she said and stuck her tongue out.

Taker laughed. "You're too much."

Kat grinned. "I know. So what's up?"

He gave her an inquisitive look.

"I mean did you want something? Or did you just decide to take a walk?"

"Actually I was wondering where you were. I came out of the storage room, and you disappeared."

"Oh. I was just wandering around and I ended up here. I do that a lot, wander off."

"I'm starting to see that," he said. "It's nice here though."

"Yea, it is. I could nod off here," she said with a laugh. She closed her eyes and pretended to fall asleep suddenly, her head falling on his arm.

Taker looked down at her, and she cracked an eye open and peeked at him. "Do you always sleep with one eye open?" he asked wryly.

She laughed and sat up. "Sometimes."

He shook his head. "Are you coming back inside? Or are you going to stay here?"

She bit her lip thoughtfully. "I think I'm gonna stay a little while."

He nodded. "Okay." He got up, walked back to the building, and went inside.

A few minutes went by, then Kat stretched out and closed her eyes. She was starting to relax again, when she heard someone walking down to her. "Seriously Mark, I can hear you this time. You're not gonna scare me again." She opened her eyes and sat up. It was Randy. "Oh Randy, sorry. I thought you were Mark."

"Apparently," Randy said with a smile.

"What's up?"

"Do you have the car keys? Taker said he gave them to you when we got here."

"Yea," she said pulling them out of her pocket. "Are we leaving already?"

"Nah, I need to get a Band-Aid from the car."

Kat stood up. "A Band-Aid? Did you cut yourself?"

The two started walking to where the trucks were parked. "I didn't," Randy said. "Taker did."

"Oh geez," she said. She unlocked the truck and Randy pulled out a first aid kit from the glove compartment.

She followed Randy back inside. Mark was sitting on the bleachers with a tissue wrapped around his hand.

"Here we go," Randy said, putting the kit down next to Taker.

"Thanks Randy," he replied. "I got it."

Kat sat down next to Mark as Randy went back over to John. "What did you do?" she asked her voice slightly teasing.

He looked at her sideways. "I dropped my water bottle and it rolled under the bleachers. I reached to get it and I cut my hand," he said pulling the tissue off.

Kat looked at his hand and bit her lip. He had a long cut going across his palm and a scrape on the back of his hand. "Ouch." She took the kit from him. "Here, let me help." She frowned as she looked through the kit. She turned and picked up a water bottle and another tissue, and soaked the tissue. "Okay give me your hand."

Taker raised an eyebrow. "You know, I can do it myself."

"Give me your hand tough guy," she said, clearly indicating that she had no intention of letting him do it himself.

"Yes nurse," he said with a half smile and held out his hand.

She shook her head and gently cleaned off the blood. "Umm, I'm going to have to put alcohol on it," she said. "You never know what might have been floating around under the bleachers."

Taker nodded. "Go ahead."

She put alcohol on another tissue and took his hand again. She was an inch away from the cut, but halted.

He looked at her. "Problem?" he asked.

"It's going to hurt."

"I know that," Taker said. "But it has to be done. So do it."

She nodded. "Okay then, get ready." Softly she put the alcohol on the cut and the scrape. Taker flinched slightly but said nothing. When she was done, she pulled out a bandage and wrapped it around his hand. She closed up the kit and looked at him. "You okay?" she asked.

He smiled at her. "I've done a lot worse things to myself than that. And I usually don't have a nice little nurse to fix me up on the spot."

"I know, but the little things usually hurt more than the big ones. And alcohol stings like hell."

He nodded. "That it does."

A second later Shawn walked over. He looked at Taker. "You alright?"

"I'm fine Shawn. It was nothing major."

"That's good. I see she wrapped you up. Our little nurse strikes again," he said smiling. "You should start charging doll," he said turning to Kat.

Kat laughed. "That's okay. He paid already."

Shawn looked at Mark. "He did? How's that?"

Taker looked equally confused. "Search me," he said shrugging.

"You taught me Old School. That's your payment," she said with a smile.

Taker smiled. "Fair enough."

Shawn nodded. "I guess that works. But then I still owe you for helping me when I was sick. Do I get off if I teach you something?" he asked.

Kat pretended to think hard. "Hmmm, I don't think so. I can think of something else for you," she said winking at him teasingly.

Shawn winked back and smiled. "Anytime doll, anytime."

Kat started to laugh, and Taker rolled his eyes. "I think my breakfast is gonna come up," he said dryly.

"You're just jealous Deadman," Shawn said playfully.

Taker grinned. "That's why she's sleeping in my room right?"

Kat burst out laughing. "Ouch."

Shawn pretended to be hurt. "Well!" He turned to Kat. "You're two timing me aren't you?"

"Aww Shawn, I'm not."

"I can tell when I'm not wanted!" Shawn said dramatically.

"Aww, but you are!" Kat said laughing at his dramatic act. She reached over and took his hand.

Shawn pulled his hand away. "I don't want to hear it." He crossed his arms and pouted.

Kat smiled at him. "I still think you're the prettiest," she said sliding closer to him.

Shawn pretended to give her the cold shoulder.

"Maybe this will make it better," she said mischievously, and kissed his cheek.

Shawn turned back to her. "All is forgiven," he said grinning.

She laughed. "That was too easy."

Shawn laughed too, and turned to Taker. "See Deadman? She likes me better."

Taker looked at the two. "I've been ditched for a blonde. How insulting."

Kat turned to him. "Did I hurt your feelings Mark?" she asked playfully. "I'm sorry."

"That's okay," he answered. "You have to come to bed sooner or later." He grinned at her, stood up and went over to Edge on the mat.

When he left, Kat shook her head and started to laugh. "And he said I was too much."

"You are doll, but that's okay," Shawn said with a grin.

"So are you Shawn," she returned. She looked across the gym at Mark. "And so is he."

"I already know I'm too much. That's me," he answered. "But him? You really bring out the mischief in him, and that's not easy to do."

"No? He seems like a pro at sneaking up on people. He almost gave me a heart attack outside."

"He did?" Shawn asked with a chuckle.

"Yea! I almost jumped outta my skin."

"He is pretty good at that. He's the Deadman after all."

Kat snickered. "That's what he said."

"I'm sure he didn't mean to scare you," Shawn said.

"Oh no, he did," she said nodding. "He did."

Shawn laughed. "I'm telling you, you bring out the mischief."

"He's not usually like that?" she asked.

"He's usually the sarcastic kind of funny, not the kind to sneak up on you, or burn with a comeback." Shawn shrugged. "Then again, you're not one of the guys. You're easier to tease."

"Am I now?"

"Yea, you are. I wouldn't say what I said to you to one of the guys. They'd smack me or something," Shawn replied. "You see what I mean?"

She nodded. "Yea I guess so. I guess you can tell that I wouldn't take it the wrong way coming from you."

"Exactly, and that's probably why you can say something back to us."

She smiled. "That's because you make me feel like I can."

"You can tease me anytime," he said. "As long as you make it up with a kiss," he added with a wink.

Kat laughed. She was about to say something when she saw the door of the gym open. Janice walked in, and made a beeline for the ring, and for Randy. "Uh oh, she does not look happy."

Shawn shook his head. "That woman needs to lighten up. She's gonna make Randy explode one day."

They watched as Janice got to the ring. Randy came out and she started to talk to him. Even from a distance they could see that Randy was getting annoyed.

"Oh boy, wanna help me diffuse this bomb before it goes off?" Shawn asked.

He got up and Kat followed him over to the ring. As they got closer they could hear Janice saying that Randy should have told her where he was going to be.

"I don't need to give you a minute by minute account of where I am Janice," Randy snapped, his voice ringing with annoyance.

Kat looked at Shawn who shook his head. "Get him to go outside with you," he said. "Before he RKO's her."

"Shouldn't I have an excuse or something? And why me?"

"You because Randy won't explode at you. And because me and Janice already have issues. Go and tell him that you need his help with something outside," Shawn said shrugging. "I don't know, just get him away from her."

"You don't really think he would…" Kat looked at Randy and noticed his jaw was twitching, and his posture was getting defensive. "Oh god. Okay I'll get him."

Kat hated to put herself in the middle of them, but she didn't want their verbal sparring to turn into a full blown fight.

She looked at the two for a minute and then noticed that Shawn had jumped into the ring with John. _Probably to make it easier for me to get Randy, _she thought to herself. She walked over, pretending to be oblivious to the argument.

"Oh hi there," she said sweetly to Janice. "I'm sorry, but I need to borrow Randy for a minute, if you don't mind. I need help with something outside, and he's the only one that's not in the middle of practicing," she said gesturing to the rest of the guys, who were evenly paired. "I'll have him back a.s.a.p.," she said grabbing Randy's hand before Janice could comment.

She pulled him out the back door and toward the water. "You okay?" she asked.

"Why did you do that?" he asked, his voice and face cold and expressionless.

"Because you looked like you were about to kill her," Kat answered. "Seriously, are you okay? You're starting to freak me out."

He walked out to the end of the dock and sat down. Kat followed and sat beside him. She put a hand on his arm. "Randy?"

He turned his head and looked at her.

"Say something. Anything, even if you curse her or me or everything. But say something. Don't go all quiet."

He sighed and blinked. "I'm sorry; she just makes me crazy. Honestly, that woman is going to make me end up in jail one day."

"That's why Shawn told me to get you out of there."

"Shawn told you?"

"Yea, he said you looked like you were about to explode, to get you out of the gym. But seriously are you okay? You're not going to walk back in and RKO her are you?"

A hint of a smile crossed his face. "Don't tempt me."

"No punting either," she said in a mock serious tone.

"Damned," he said, the smile now formed on his face.

Kat smiled at him. "Are you ready to go back in?"

He shrugged. "I guess so. No promises on the RKO or punting though."

"Randy…"

"Relax, I'm kidding," he said. "Although I'd love to see the look on her face if I did it."

"Don't even think about it. Think about something else, like rainbows and butterflies."

"Rainbows and butterflies?" he asked laughing. "I'll try that."

"Good, let's go back in then."

He nodded and they headed back into the gym.

.

.

Author's Note: Sorry about taking so long to update! I have finals soon and I've been way too busy. I hope you guys like this chapter. Thanks for all the reviews, and keep them coming =)


	13. Chapter 13

Kat and Randy went back inside. The rest of the guys were sitting around on the mat, taking a break.

Randy looked around. "Where's Janice?" he asked.

"She went outside looking for you two," Cody answered. "I gotta say, she's in a really pissy mood. What did you say to her?"

Randy snickered. "When is she not in a pissy mood?"

The other guys laughed. "You should talk to Vince about her. If she's really driving you that crazy…" Ted started.

Randy held up a hand. "I tried. He said that the only way I could get rid of her was if I found a replacement that can put up with me and still do their job right. That won't be too easy to find. I have kind of a bad rep with managers."

"That's because you aren't exactly the easiest to deal with," John said cracking a smile. "You've kinda got some anger issues."

Randy looked at him and grinned. "That's why I make you my personal punching bag. It keeps me from killing Janice."

John laughed. "Okay smart ass. But don't look now, here she comes."

Randy groaned. "Here we go again."

"Relax, she won't start if we're all here," Shawn said.

Janice crossed the gym and came over to them. She looked very ticked off. "There you are," she snapped. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

"She said she'd have me right back," Randy said. "Why didn't you just wait?"

"You should be training, not wandering around to help her with who knows what," she said glancing at Kat out of the corner of her eye.

"I _was_ training. Until you decided to waltz in and start throwing a fit," Randy returned, his voice taking on an edge.

"Don't start with me Randy," she said. "Don't turn this around on me."

"I'm not trying to; I'm just saying what happened."

Kat and the rest of the guys were looking around at each other. The situation was getting tense again, and all of them were feeling like they shouldn't be there. Edge broke the silence.

"Hey does anybody wanna come with me to go buy lunch?" he asked.

Kat turned to him. "I'll come," she said hurriedly. She didn't want to be in there.

"I think I'm going to take a walk outside," Cody said. "The back looked nice. I'm going to go unwind my muscles a little."

"I'll come with you," Ted said.

"I'm coming too," Shawn said. "It's getting stuffy in here," he added shooting a glance at Janice.

"Why don't we all go outside for a while. We've been working out for a decent amount of time," John said. "We can relax while the two of them go get lunch."

Taker looked from Randy to Janice. "Sounds good John. Let's go." He kept his voice level, but the tone clearly meant that everyone was going outside, including Randy. He stood up and the group began walking outside. He thought to himself for a moment. "Oh, and Randy, I wanted to show you something with my phone. Maybe you can figure it out for me," he added.

Taker could see that Randy was getting tense. Janice had really been pushing him lately and he didn't want Randy to have a meltdown. He figured that he could probably fix whatever was wrong with the phone himself, but he wanted Randy away from her. He also knew that Janice wouldn't start anything if Randy was with him.

Randy seemed surprised at Taker's request, but didn't voice it. He was glad for any excuse to move away from Janice. Once they reached the back of the school, Kat and Edge started taking lunch orders, while the rest of the guys relaxed.

"So, you want that with French fries or a salad Ted?" Edge asked.

"Do I look like I eat salad man?" Ted said raising his eyebrows.

"Good point," Edge said with a laugh. "Alright that's everybody except Randy. What do you want?"

"Eh just get me a burger and fries," he answered.

"Do you really think you should be eating that junk?" Janice asked, turning to Randy.

"Considering the lack of options close by, yeah I do," Randy returned.

"You should be eating healthier," she stated.

Randy had just about enough, and was about to give her a scathing reply when he caught Kat's eyes. She was standing behind Janice, and when he looked at her, she made a butterfly motion with her hands. She grinned at him, and Randy couldn't help but smile inwardly. _Rainbows and butterflies_, he thought to himself with a laugh.

He looked back at Janice and answered her calmly. "You're probably right Janice, but the diner really doesn't have much in the way of health food. Besides I wouldn't trust a diner's salad. You never know how long the vegetables have been there." He shrugged.

Janice looked at him and thought for a moment. She nodded. "That's true too. I guess you probably would be better off with the burger. At least you know it's fresh." Just then, her cell phone began to ring. She picked it up and had a short conversation with someone.

She hung up the phone and turned back. "I have to head to the next town. Apparently management needs me to fax some papers, and the machine at the post office here is down. If I get back I'll see all of you later." With that, she headed to her car and drove off.

"That's a lucky break for you," Edge said. "Who knows, maybe she won't come back tonight."

"Are you kidding?" Cody asked. "With Randy's luck she'll be back before we know it. That was way too intense by the way. I thought you were about to smack her."

Randy smiled darkly. "I was thinking about punting her actually, Code."

Kat coughed loudly, and Randy looked at her. She made the same butterfly motion with her hands and Randy nodded his head.

"Yea I know, rainbows and butterflies," he said.

"Is that what that was?" Edge asked. "I was so confused when I saw her do that."

Kat laughed. "I told him before that he needed to think rainbows and butterflies whenever he got upset with her." She turned to Randy. "You looked like you needed a little reminding."

He shrugged. "I guess so."

"Alright," Edge said. "Let's go get the food."

Kat nodded and they got into Taker's truck. Edge pulled out of the parking lot and they started toward the diner.

They sat in silence for a while, when Kat finally broke it. "Can I ask you something?" she asked turning to him.

"Shoot," Edge answered.

"Is Janice usually like that with Randy? All tense and aggressive?"

"She's no peach, trust me. But no, she isn't usually this…crazy. Don't get me wrong, she pushes his buttons all the time, but lately it's been overkill."

"Really?"

Edge nodded. "It's been getting worse since we got here, and you want me to be honest? I don't think Janice likes you very much."

Kat laughed. "What gave you that idea?" she asked sarcastically.

"I'm serious. I mean, she usually doesn't take well to people outside the company, but with you…it's over the top. I don't think she likes that you and him get along."

"Too bad for her," Kat answered with a shrug. "I really don't see why it matters whether I get along with him or not. By the way, when are you going to tell me what it is that I owe you? I'm really not liking the suspense."

He grinned. "I'll let you know as soon as I think of something good. I've got a few ideas though."

"Such as?"

"Well that would ruin it wouldn't it?" he asked. "Don't you like surprises?"

"You're hopeless you know." She sighed in exasperation.

"Don't worry. It's not going to be anything dangerous, maybe just something outside the box."

"That's what I'm afraid of," she said.

Edge laughed in response. "You worry too much."

A few minutes later they pulled up outside the diner. They went in and placed their order. The waitress told them it would be about a half hours wait for them to cook the food.

"You wanna take a walk while we wait?" Edge asked.

Kat shrugged. "Sure."

They headed outside and started walking down the road toward the main part of the town. It was a very short walk, and they wandered onto the main street. The street was pretty empty considering it was the middle of the day.

"Oh shoot, do you mind coming with me to the bank? I forgot to freeze my credit cards," Kat said.

"No problem."

They walked to the bank, and weren't very surprised to find that it was empty. Kat walked over to the lone teller and explained her problem.

"So you want to freeze all your cards?" she asked, looking at Kat and Edge.

"Yea," Kat answered. "And request for replacements."

"No problem hun. I just need to see some I.D."

Kat handed over her license and the teller quickly put a freeze on her bank accounts.

"Has there been any activity on them?" Kat asked.

"One purchase yesterday for three hundred dollars. I'm guessing that wasn't you?" the teller asked.

"No. Can you fix it?"

"Absolutely darlin'." The teller typed something into her keyboard and then turned back. "All set."

"Can I make a withdrawal?" Kat asked.

"You can only take out a hundred. Is that alright?"

"That's better than nothing," Kat said smiling. "It's fine." A few minutes later Kat had the money, and was ready to leave.

The two left the bank and kept walking down the street. Edge said he wanted to run into the pharmacy. They stepped in and were greeted with an icy blast of air from the air conditioning.

"Wow, it's actually cold in here," Kat said rubbing her bare arms.

"No kidding. I think I need to stay in here. It's a hell of a lot better than outside." He started walking up and down the aisles, with Kat walking behind.

"What are you looking for?" she asked.

"Aspirin. The bottle I had ran out last night. You never know when you might need it. Maybe I should ask that lady," he said gesturing to a much older woman wearing a nametag.

"You don't have to. I think I saw aspirin when I was with Mark in here. It's in the next aisle."

"I see it now," he said walking over. He picked up a bottle. "Perfect. Do you want anything in here?"

Kat shrugged. "I don't know. Let me walk around and see." Similar to him, she began walking up and down the aisles. Kat noticed that the older woman seemed to be watching them. She figured they probably didn't get many customers. As Kat moved along the aisles, Edge followed close behind her, and playfully kept poking her.

"What're you looking for?" he asked each time. "Do you need help finding it?" he asked poking her again.

"You're going to need some Band-Aids if you don't knock it off," she said.

"Touchy," he said laughing.

Kat walked into the makeup aisle and picked up a tube of lip gloss. "Look it's just your shade," she said with a grin.

"I thought we said we weren't going to mention my cross dressing ways," he said.

"But you looked so pretty," she said innocently.

He rolled his eyes. "So are you getting anything or not?" he asked.

"No that's okay. I'm good."

"Suit yourself. Lemme just pay for this then." He walked over to the cash register, and the same woman appeared.

"Is that all you need darlin'?" she asked Edge.

"That's it," he said.

"You sure _darlin'_?" Kat asked him playfully.

Edge looked at her and laughed. "I like your own accent better."

"Don't worry, I can drop the accent. And I can think of much better names for you," she added with a grin.

"And you said I was ridiculous," he said shaking his head with a laugh.

"Actually I said you were hopeless," she said correcting him.

"Oh brother."

The woman behind the register couldn't help but laugh. Edge turned from Kat and looked at her.

She stopped laughing and smiled. "I'm sorry hun, you two are just too adorable together. You remind me of me and my husband. You two are a cute couple."

Kat shook her head. "We're not a couple," she said shaking her head with a smile.

"No?" the woman asked. "That's surprising."

She handed Edge his bag and he and Kat walked out of the pharmacy. They started walking back toward the diner.

Edge walked up close to Kat and linked arms with her. "So I guess we're a couple now?" he asked teasingly.

She looked at him and smiled. "I don't think so Goldilocks."

He pretended to sniffle. "And I thought you cared!" he said pulling his arm away.

There were a few people walking along the street, and a couple turned and looked at Edge as he finished his dramatics.

Kat started laughing. "Oh stop it you idiot. People are going to think you're a rejected lover."

He laughed in return and linked his arm with hers again. "Well then I guess you're stuck with me."

"Oh geez."

They got back to the diner and picked up the food. They got back in the truck and started the drive back to the school.

"Do you think Janice is coming back tonight?" Kat asked.

"Hopefully not. Randy deserves a little peace. He can do without her driving him up the wall."

"It's too bad that they don't get along," Kat said.

"I think the two of them are more alike than they think. They both have short fuses and they're stubborn as hell."

Kat laughed. "That's probably why they clash so much."

He nodded. "Either way, I hope she doesn't come back tonight. I want to eat in peace."

They pulled into the parking lot and took the food around the back. The guys were spread out. Ted, Cody, John and Randy were playing catch with a football from the gym. Shawn was relaxing under a tree, and Mark was laid out on the dock with his eyes closed.

When the guys saw Edge and Kat they stopped their game and went over to where Shawn was sitting. The ground under the tree was level, and the branches shaded them from the sun. They sat down and Edge started handing them their lunch.

Kat looked over at the dock. "What about Mark?" she asked.

"I don't know. From here it looks like he's asleep. I wouldn't wake him up if I was you," Randy said glancing in Taker's direction.

"Don't be silly," she said. "What's he going to do?" She shook her head and started walking toward Taker. She stepped onto the dock and walked over to Mark, who was laid out close to the end. She was about a foot away when he suddenly sat up. Kat jumped back.

"Whoa!"

Mark started to laugh. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you jump."

"Geez who did you think it was?"

He smiled. "I don't know. I guess old habits die hard."

"No kidding," she said.

Half an hour went by and they were soon finished with lunch.

"I don't think I wanna work out again," Cody said. "I'm too full."

"Yea, me too," John said. "Besides it's too nice out to go back in there. Anybody want to play a game of football?"

Ted stretched. "Yea I guess I'm in."

Cody and Randy also decided to play. Edge said he would referee to keep either side from cheating. Ted and Randy made up one team, with John and Cody making up the other. Shawn said he wanted to relax, so he leaned back against the tree.

"You don't wanna play with them?" Shawn asked Kat.

"Are you crazy? I'd be dead if one of them tackled me," she answered laughing.

Shawn laughed. "That's true. So what're you going to do?"

She shrugged." I'm gonna go sit back on the dock and relax I guess. It's really nice out."

He nodded. "Better watch though. I think Taker beat you to it."

Kat looked, and saw that Shawn was right. Mark was already stretched out on the dock.

"Sneaky," she said. "I didn't even see him walk over there."

She got up from the tree and walked out onto the dock. When she got to him, she sat down cross legged. His eyes opened and he looked at her.

"Something I can do for you?"

"You beat me over here," she said.

A hint of a smile crossed his face. "And?"

"And I was wondering if you could move over."

He gestured to the dock. "I don't think it's wide enough for both of us to be side by side."

"Do you mind if I sit here then?"

He shook his head. "No." He closed his eyes again.

Kat looked down at the water. There were some reeds and she couldn't see to the bottom. She wondered how deep it was.

She leaned toward the surface. She swirled her hands around in the water. It was cool in comparison to the heat of the day.

She looked at the water, and then at Mark, and a mischievous smile came over her face. She dipped a hand into the water and then, moving to Mark, sprinkled it on him.

His eyes popped open and he sat up. Kat sat there and looked at him innocently.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

"Did you just put water on me?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

"You must be imagining things," she answered.

Mark moved closer and looked at her. Her face was blank but her eyes read mischief. "You're a bad liar," he said.

She grinned. "I was bored okay?"

He shook his head and smiled. "Why don't you find some way to entertain yourself?"

"Well considering you're the only person sitting here, I was entertaining myself. It just so happens I was entertaining myself by bothering you." She dipped her hand back in the water and flicked it at him again.

Taker wiped his face off. "I wouldn't have done that if I were you."

She smiled mischievously and did it again. "Was that a threat Mark?" she asked.

"No," he answered with a smile. "It was a warning. But seeing as you wanna take that road…" He turned and splashed water over the side of the dock, spraying her.

Kat laughed. "Is that how it's going to be?" She did the same thing he had done and threw water at him. She stood up and looked down at him. "You're not so big and scary when you're all wet," she said with a laugh.

Taker stood up, towering over her. "What were you saying short stuff?" he asked with a smile.

"You did not just call me short," she said pretending to take offense. She playfully shoved his shoulder.

"I wouldn't have done that either," he said.

"Why not?"

"Because if I do that to you, you're gonna go flying."

"You wouldn't."

"You think so? Try me."

Kat stepped up close to him and pushed him with as much force as she could manage. He didn't budge.

He shook his head. "I told you not to do that. My turn," he said with a wicked smile. He pushed her shoulder with a small amount of force. Kat tried to steady herself, but her foot slipped on the water that was on the dock. She lost her balance and fell off the edge of the dock into the water.

.

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**Author's Note:** Hope you guys like. Please review. Thoughts and ideas are welcome in reviews. I'll have the next chapter up soon! =)


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Taker was instantly concerned. He was about to go in after her when he saw her coming up. His concerned expression gave way to laughter when she surfaced.

"That wasn't very nice of you," she said splashing water at him.

"I told you not to push me," he said shaking his head. "But you didn't listen."

She stuck her tongue out and splashed at him again. "Now my clothes are all wet. You could at least help me out," she said.

He leaned down and held out a hand to her. She grabbed his wrist and he pulled her up out of the water. She was completely soaked. Taker was repressing laughter at the look she was giving him.

"It's not funny," she snapped.

"Maybe not to you," he answered holding back a chuckle.

She sat down and pulled off her sneakers and socks. They were soaked through. Her tank top and shorts were pasted to her body, and she was dripping wet. She stood back up and looked at him.

"I don't suppose you have a towel in the truck?"

"I might. Stay right here," he said.

"Like I'm gonna go anywhere." A minute went by and he came back empty handed.

"Sorry, no luck. Come with me. I'll ask John if there's one in his truck."

Kat mumbled something and followed him over to the tree where Shawn was. Shawn looked at her and a confused look came over his face.

"What happened to you?" he asked.

"Mark shoved me into the water," she said shooting him a look.

Shawn looked at Taker. "You what?" he asked in disbelief.

"I didn't mean for her to fall in. She lost her balance."

Shawn started to laugh, but Kat shot him a look too. "Aww I'm sorry doll. I don't mean to laugh at you. You need a towel though."

The other guys saw Kat and Taker with Shawn and they came over to see what had happened.

"Why are you all wet?" Randy asked her.

"It's a long story," she said glancing at Mark.

Taker turned to John. "Do you have a towel in the truck?" he asked.

"I don't know. Maybe. I'll go look. There might be some in the gym though."

"I'll go look inside," Taker said.

He and John walked off, leaving Kat with the rest of the guys. A breeze blew through the air and Kat shivered slightly.

"I hope they find a towel," Kat said. "I'm freezing."

"We can see that," Edge said with a smirk.

Kat eyed him curiously, until she realized that the water had made her shirt go almost completely see through. It also didn't help that it was pasted against her skin. Her light colored bra wasn't doing much to cover her up either. _Great, _she thought to herself,_ I'm a walking wet t-shirt contest_. She crossed her arms over her chest.

Edge laughed. "Too bad."

She shot him a look.

"Oh geez, I'm just trying to lighten the mood." He looked at her. "How did you fall in anyway?"

"Mark pushed me and I lost my balance."

"You're kidding?" Randy asked. "That's not like him."

"It was kind of my own fault," Kat said shaking her head. "I was bothering him. He didn't mean for me to fall in. He was just playing with me."

"I think you just discovered why you don't mess with the Deadman," Randy said with a smile.

"No kidding," she answered. "I really hope one of them finds a towel. I'm twitching over here."

The guys laughed. "Laugh it up," she said. "I'd like to see how one of you would feel with an icy cold shirt against you."

"Why don't you just take it off then?" Randy asked. "If you're that cold."

"I don't think so." She caught sight of John coming back.

"Sorry," he said. "No towel."

"I think I'm gonna go inside and see if Mark needs help looking. At least there's no breeze in there." Kat stood up and started walking toward the building. _I bet there's a towel in the locker room,_ she thought to herself. She went in through the gym and headed toward the locker room.

She was about to open the door when it suddenly swung open. She jumped back, the door barely missing her. It was Mark, and he was holding a towel.

"Whoa! I didn't see you there," he said. "I found a towel for you," he added handing it to her.

She took it from him and draped it over her shoulders. "Did you happen to see a dryer in there?"

"I didn't notice," he said. He walked back into the locker room and she followed behind him. "There's a hand dryer on this wall," he said gesturing. "And I think that's a blow dryer against that other wall."

"I'm gonna dry my clothes," she said.

He nodded. "I'll be outside," he said.

Once she was sure Mark was out, she quickly stripped off her clothes and wrapped herself in the towel. She held each article of clothing under the hand dryer until it was dry.

When she was done, she put her clothes back on and dried her hair. She shut off the dryer and walked out of the locker room. She headed back outside and went over to the guys.

"All better?" Shawn asked.

She nodded. "Yea I'm fine." She picked up her shoes and put them back on. They were still wet.

"I think we should go back to the motel," Cody said. "I just checked the weather on my phone, and there's supposed to be a storm coming."

They glanced up at the sky. Off in the distance they could see dark grey clouds. The wind was starting to pick up too, and the breeze was getting colder. They quickly got into the trucks and headed back to the motel. When they reached the parking lot it started to drizzle.

"I'll let everybody know about dinner later," Randy said. "Hopefully this clears up."

The sky had darkened considerably. The sun was completely gone, and the clouds were so grey, they looked almost black.

"This is gonna be a bad one," Shawn said.

They all went to their rooms, and no sooner had they closed their doors than the rain started in a downpour.

Kat pulled off her sneakers and climbed up onto the bed. She sat back and looked at Mark.

"You're not going to kill me in my sleep tonight are you?" he asked with a half smile.

"Kill you? For what?"

"For making you fall into the water. I am sorry by the way. I didn't mean for you to fall in," he added, sitting beside her.

She nodded. "I know. You don't have to apologize. I got over that. The more I think about it, the funnier it is. I was a little annoyed that I gave all of you guys a little show though."

"What do you mean?"

"I was dripping wet and my shirt was totally see-through. You're going to tell me you didn't notice?" He shrugged in response. She raised an eyebrow. "So either you were totally oblivious, or you're trying to make me feel better by not saying anything." She looked at him and tried to read his expression.

"So you noticed but you pretended not to."

He shrugged again. "Don't think about it. We all have our moments."

She looked at him wryly. "I guess it could be worse. I've had worse things happen, in a lot worse places."

"So you're not going to kill me in my sleep?" he asked smiling.

She smiled back. "No, I'm not. Besides, how exactly does one go about killing someone who's already dead?"

He laughed. "No idea."

"I think I'm going to take a hot shower. I still feel cold from before." Kat hopped off the bed and went into the bathroom.

Mark laid back on the bed. A minute later he heard water running. He thought about what had happened and laughed to himself. What had possessed him to push her? He hadn't meant for her to fall into the water, and he was glad that she wasn't angry about it. He couldn't help but smile when he thought about the look she had given him when he pulled her out. All in all, it was pretty funny.

He had just gotten comfortable when there was a knock at the door. He shook his head and got up to answer it. It was Shawn.

Taker let him in and then shut the door. It was still pouring outside.

"This weather is ridiculous," Shawn mumbled as he stepped in. He crossed the room and sat down on a chair that was in the corner. He looked around. "Where is she?" he asked.

"Shower," Taker answered. "She said she was cold."

"Oh, so she's talking to you?" Shawn asked with a half smile.

"Yea, why?"

"Deadman, if you had pushed me into a pond I'd be pretty pissed off. I wouldn't be talking to you."

"Hmm, maybe I should push you into a pond then," Taker answered with a wry smile.

Shawn shook his head. "You know, when she said it was you that pushed her, I was thinking that's not like you. But the more I see and think about it, the more it makes sense…" he said trailing off.

Taker looked at Shawn with a hint of confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Shawn looked up and shook his head, as if snapping himself out of thought. "Never mind."

"Was there a reason for your trip here? Or did you just feel like taking a walk in the pouring rain?"

"Oh right! I was trying to call your phone, but you weren't picking up. Randy said to let you know that he checked the weather, and the rain isn't supposed to clear up tonight. He said we could just order food or something, instead of trying to drive out in the rain."

"That's fine by me. Where is he ordering from?"

"He said there's some Chinese food place across town. He's ordering from there. Says he got the number from the desk clerk."

Taker shrugged. "Okay. I'll see you later then."

Shawn stood up and nodded. "Oh, and tell Kat if she gets bored to come to my room."

Taker nodded, and Shawn left the room. A minute later Kat opened the bathroom door. She was wrapped up in a towel. Taker raised an eyebrow.

"I forgot my clothes," she said, pulling out some clothes from her bag. She went back into the bathroom and emerged a few minutes later dressed.

"Was that Shawn that was in here before?" she asked, sitting down to comb her hair.

Mark nodded. "Yea, he was saying that Randy's ordering Chinese for dinner later. The rain's not supposed to clear up for a while."

"Oh." She finished combing her hair and put the comb down.

"He also said to tell you to come to his room if you got bored."

Kat smiled. "Maybe I will. By the way, do you mind if I use your cell phone?"

"Go ahead," he answered.

She picked it up off the dresser and tried dialing a number. "Hmm that's weird. It's not working."

"Shawn said he tried to call me and it wasn't going through. Maybe it's the rain."

"Maybe I'll ask Shawn if I can use his phone. My family is on a cruise that docks today in the Bahamas. They should have cell reception. They might get worried if they don't hear from me."

He nodded again. "Shawn's might work. He has a different kind of phone than I do. I'm going to take a shower. Take a key with you, in case you come back and I'm not out yet."

He disappeared into the bathroom, leaving Kat sitting on the bed. She finished combing her hair then went over to her bag on the floor. She pulled her hoodie out and put it on. Her sneakers weren't totally dry yet, but she put them on. It was raining and they would get wet anyway. She slid the room key into her pocket and headed toward Shawn's room.

She got there without getting too wet. The overhang on the building shielded her from most of the rain. She only got wet when the wind blew the rain under it. She knocked on Shawn's door and he quickly let her in.

"Had a nice walk in the rain?" he asked smiling.

"This weather is for ducks," she said shaking her head. "I usually like walking in the rain, but this is ridiculous."

"I guess Taker relayed my invitation?"

She nodded. "Yea, he did. By the way, I was wondering if I could use your phone? Mark's isn't working."

Shawn nodded and handed it to her. "Go ahead."

Kat quickly dialed and was very relieved when she heard ringing. A few seconds later her aunt picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hi Aunt Kris," Kat said.

"Kat honey! I was just telling your uncle that I was getting worried that you hadn't called."

"My phone died, and I haven't had a chance to recharge it. How's the vacation?"

"Oh it's wonderful. I wish you were here though. Your cousins are all whining about you not being here."

Kat laughed. "Tell them to have fun, and to have extra fun for me."

"I'll tell them. So have you gotten to the house? How is it?" her aunt asked.

"I decided to take a little detour. You know, drive around and see all the places I've wanted to check out."

"That sounds like fun, your own little adventure. Just be careful."

"I will Aunt Kris. How're Mom and Dad?"

"I have never seen the two of them more relaxed. Your mom's at the spa right now, and oddly enough so is your dad."

"You're kidding," Kat said with a laugh.

"They're getting some kind of treatments together. I have no idea honestly. I'll tell them you called and that you're okay. We're leaving port tonight, so we won't have cell reception again for a few days."

"Okay then. Have fun and tell everybody that I said hi."

"Will do honey. Have fun on your road trip, and be careful. You'll have to tell us all about it once we get back."

"I will," Kat said with a smile. "Bye Aunt Kris."

"Bye baby."

Kat hung up the phone and handed it back to Shawn. "Thanks."

"No problem. That was your aunt?" he asked.

"Yea. My family's on a cruise. They're in the Bahamas today, so they have reception. I wanted to check in with them, so they don't get worried. We usually all go away together, but this year I didn't go."

"You didn't want to go?" Shawn asked.

"I couldn't. They left a week before school ended. It's my first year as a teacher. It would look bad that I left for summer vacation a week early. But you know, even if they had left after school let out, I wasn't really feeling it this year. I kind of wanted to go away by myself, without having to deal with all the crazy people in my family."

Shawn laughed. "Your whole family went?"

"Yea. My parents, aunts and uncles, cousins, grandparents, the whole deal. Don't get me wrong, I love them all to death, but this year I just wanted to be alone."

Shawn nodded. "I know what you mean. Sometimes you just need to get away. Look at it this way. If you had gone with them, you wouldn't have gotten stuck here and met all of us."

Kat grinned. "Very true. I'm kind of glad the car broke down."

Shawn smiled. "So am I doll. You're a real sweetheart."

She laughed. "You've never seen my bad side. You and the rest of the guys have only seen me nice and sweet."

"We all have a bad side. Lord knows my ass used to strip on national television," Shawn said with a laugh.

Kat smiled. "No complaints on this end."

Shawn shook his head with a laugh. "You're a real mischievous one aren't you?"

"You have no idea," she answered.

"You and Randy would make a hell of a team. That boy is always pulling something on somebody."

She laughed. "He looks mischievous."

"Oh he is. The amount of pranks and nonsense that boy has pulled is enough to drive anybody crazy. Even worse is him and John pulling off something together."

"I can picture that. I'm sure it doesn't go too well once they get caught."

"You should have seen the time John dared Randy to prank Taker. It was probably the funniest thing I've ever seen."

"Oh no…"

"You said it. Randy never backs down from a dare, so he went ahead with it. I thought Taker was gonna kill him."

"I don't even wanna know what he did. I get the feeling that Mark doesn't like being pranked."

"No he doesn't. Taker can usually take a joke, but that time it just pissed him off. It wasn't pretty."

"Why didn't Mark just prank him back?"

Shawn shrugged. "He's not usually the type for pranks or messing with people. That's why I was so surprised when you said that he pushed you into the water today."

"I was bothering him, and I did push him first. I guess now that I think about it, I was sort of daring him to do it."

"Either way, it's not like him."

Kat shrugged. "We all have our moments."

Shawn smiled. "Yea. So you were saying your whole family went away? Nobody wanted to come with you on your little road trip?"

"I'm sure my cousins would have come with me if I had asked them to. But I didn't know that I would be able to take my time getting to Georgia. I thought I would have to get there as fast as I could. I wouldn't put them through such a boring car trip. If I had known that I would be able to make so many stops, I would have asked them to come with me."

"Your cousins are close to the same age as you?"

Kat nodded. "There are four of them close to me. The twins, Adrian and Aaron, are two years younger than me. My cousin Jamie is almost four years younger than me, and my other cousin Alex is two years older."

"Are you guys close?" Shawn asked.

"Yea, we're almost inseparable. The four of them are like my brothers and sisters. The twins are like my crazy younger brothers. Jamie is the baby, and she's the only other girl besides me. I used to always let her do whatever I was doing. It drives the boys crazy, especially my cousin Alex."

"Bad influence?" Shawn asked with a laugh.

"That's what he always says to me. Alex used to always be in charge of us when our parents went out. I used to give him the most trouble out of any of us. I would always get the rest of them in on some scheme I had. It used to make him crazy. Actually it still makes him crazy."

"Somehow I can picture you up to no good. But your cousin sounds like an older brother."

"He acts like one. Sometimes he acts like a dad too," Kat said with a laugh. "He's crazy overprotective, and I can drive him up the wall, but we're like two sides of the same coin. I'm closer to him than anyone else."

"So they're all on the cruise with the rest of your family?"

She nodded. "Yea. They're all off for the summer too. Jamie's in college and the twins are in grad school. Alex is a teacher like I am, so he's off too."

"They must miss you, since you're not there," he said.

"My aunt was just telling me that they were complaining about me not being there. They'll be fine. It's a little weird not being with them though."

Shawn nodded. "I know what you mean. When you're used to being around certain people, it feels strange to not have them there."

"Yea. But I'll see them once they get back. They're never gonna believe that I met you guys," she added smiling.

"They watch wrestling too?"

"Oh yes. They all have their favorites."

Shawn smiled. "Maybe if we're anywhere close to you, you can all come hang out with us one day."

"That would be fun. Do you guys have any idea when you're leaving here by the way?"

Shawn shook his head. "The last I heard from Taker, management still hadn't worked out our little scheduling problem. I have no idea what's happening with the shows. Nobody knows what's going on."

Kat shook her head. "That's not good. But I guess it means you guys get a few days off."

"I think we'd all like it a lot better if we had our days off somewhere a little less…deserted. I mean it's nice that we don't get bothered by anyone, but this place is a little on the boring side."

Kat laughed. "You sound anxious to get back to work."

Shawn shrugged. "Maybe a little."

Just then there was a knock at the door. It was John.

"What's up John?" Shawn asked.

"Randy ordered the food. He said for everybody to come to our room to eat."

Shawn nodded. "Alright."

They walked over to John and Randy's room to have dinner.

.

.

**Author's Note:** Hope you liked this chapter! Yea I know, I put in a lot about Kat's family, but you'll see why later on in the fic. Now that school's out for me, I'll be able to post more frequently. Thanx to everyone that added this to one of their lists, and to anyone that writes a review. (And of course XOXO to my repeat reviewers!) Seeing that someone takes the time to write a review gives me a warm fuzzy feeling =) I'll have the next chapter up soon!


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Ted and Cody were already in the room, but Randy, Taker and Edge were nowhere to be seen.

"Where's everybody else?" Shawn asked.

"Randy went to go pick up the food from the clerk's office. The delivery guy left it there. I don't know where the other two of them are," John answered.

"Mark was taking a shower," Kat said. "He'll probably come when he's done. That just leaves Goldilocks."

As if on cue, Edge opened the door. "Damn rain," he mumbled, stepping in.

"Well hello to you too sunshine," John said with a grin.

"Where's Randy and Taker?" Edge asked looking around.

"Getting the food and taking a shower, in that order," John answered.

A minute later the door opened again, and Randy walked in holding two bags of Chinese food.

"Well I got the food. It might be a little soggy. The delivery guy came on a bike," he added, putting the bags down on the table.

"In this rain?" John asked. "That guy must be nuts."

"No kidding," Randy said. "He looked like he had fallen into a lake." He looked at Kat and mischief crossed his face. "Or a pond."

Kat stuck her tongue out at him. "Stuff it," she said.

"You'd better be nice," Randy said. "Or else."

"Or else what?" she asked daringly.

"Or else no dinner for you," he said wickedly gesturing to the food.

"One of you will share with me, won't you?" she asked turning to the other guys. "If he doesn't give me any?"

Cody looked at her. "That depends."

"On what?" she asked.

"On whether or not Randy threatens to punt us."

Randy grinned at this comment. Kat turned back to him.

"I'm not scared of you," she said.

"No?" he asked stepping toward her.

Instead of stepping back, Kat stepped forward. "No."

He raised an eyebrow and looked at the rest of the guys. "She's got more guts than some of you," he said with a laugh. He handed her a container of food. "You earned your dinner," he said.

She took it from him and laughed. "You're too much."

He handed out the rest of the containers, and everyone started eating. Twenty minutes went by, and Taker still hadn't shown up.

"I wonder what's holding him up," Shawn said.

Kat shook her head. "I thought he was just taking a shower. Maybe he doesn't feel well?"

"Maybe one of us should go check on him," John said.

"He can take care of himself. Besides, if he doesn't feel good, the last thing he wants is one of us bothering him," Randy said.

"That's true," Shawn said."No need to be annoying."

"You're like the king of being annoying Shawn," Randy said. "Especially to Taker."

Shawn laughed. "I know. But it isn't any fun annoying a sick person. They're not really themselves. But you're one to talk about being annoying, Mr. Pranks-A Lot."

Randy grinned. "Be nice, or you might be next."

"Oh God," Shawn groaned. "I'm still recovering from the last one."

Randy laughed. "Then be nice."

Kat looked at Randy. "What did you do to him?"

"It wasn't just him," Ted said. "He got me too." He shot Randy a look. "Me and Shawn went hunting together once. Before we left I asked Randy to fill the truck up with gas. The gage wasn't working, so I had no idea how much gas was in it. Randy comes back and says it's all good. Me and Shawn went hunting, no problem."

"But on the way back, the truck ran out of gas," Shawn said. "Me and Ted were in the middle of nowhere. We waited in the truck for four hours before Randy finally came to find us."

"We were freezing our asses off," Ted said. "Both of us got sick afterward. Shawn was sneezing for two weeks."

"Aww," Kat said sympathetically. "That wasn't very nice of you Randy," she said turning to him.

He shrugged and grinned in response. "That's why you don't mess with The Viper."

Kat rolled her eyes. "I'll keep that in mind."

All of a sudden, there was a loud beeping sound from the corner of the room. Everyone jumped.

"Jesus Christ John, do you have to keep the volume on that thing up so loud?" Randy said.

"Sorry, sorry," John said standing up to get his cell phone. He quickly read the message. "It's a weather alert. Apparently we're in for some lightning and hail in the next half hour."

"Hail?" Cody asked. "You've gotta be kidding."

"Wish I was, but that's what it says." John shrugged. "I guess we should finish up and you guys should go back to your rooms. I don't think anybody needs to get hit by lightning trying to walk to their room."

"I always thought lightning was pretty," Kat said. "I just never liked the thunder."

Edge looked at her. "You wanna step outside to view it more clearly?" he asked playfully.

"You first," she said. "Lightning is attracted to tall things. You'd get hit before me."

"Alright you two. Let's all get out of here," Shawn said. The rest of the guys cleaned up quickly. Cody and Ted left first. It was still pouring outside and there were a few bits of hail starting to fall.

"This is the strangest weather I've ever seen," Ted said. "It was so warm out before." He and Cody quickly got to their room and closed the door.

Shawn stood. "Alright let's go." He looked at Kat.

"Are you going back to Taker's room?" he asked.

She nodded in response. She picked up a bag with an extra container of food. "I'll take some for him. Maybe he just fell asleep."

"I'm coming with you. I wanna make sure he's alright," Shawn said.

Edge peeked out the window. "You might wanna get a move on then. I think I just saw a flash of lightning."

Edge, Shawn and Kat made for the door. Edge made it to his room and dropped down on the bed. He picked up his book and started to read.

Shawn and Kat had gotten to Taker's room. When they got in Kat put the food on the dresser. They saw Taker laying on the bed. He looked like he was asleep.

"He's sleeping doll," Shawn said. "We should leave him."

Kat's eyes narrowed. "Wait a minute." She stepped over to Mark. He was asleep, but his skin looked pale and feverish. "Shawn, I think he's sick."

Shawn quickly came closer and looked at Taker. "I think you might be right. He looks like I did before. Food poisoning?"

"I don't know, maybe."

"I'm going to go get that medicine, just in case. I'll be right back." Shawn left the room and headed toward his own.

Kat climbed onto the bed and crawled next to Mark. She gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "Mark?"

When he didn't answer, she shook his shoulder lightly.

He groaned as his eyes opened. He blinked a few times and then his eyes focused on her.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "You don't look so good."

"I don't know. I was fine, but then I felt sick all of a sudden. I must've fallen asleep." He tried to get up but Kat pushed him back down.

"Stay where you are. Shawn went to get the medicine."

"I was just going to get some water," he said. "My throat feels dry."

"I'll get it. Stay where you are. If you do have food poisoning, which I'm guessing you might, you could get dizzy and faint. And there's no way in hell I could help you up." She went into the bathroom and filled a glass with water. She gave it to him and stood looking at him. A few seconds later, the door opened, and Shawn came back in.

"Well look who's alive and kicking," he said looking at Taker.

Taker laughed dryly. Shawn handed the medicine to Kat. She placed it down on the nightstand and looked at Mark again. She wanted to make sure that he looked like he had food poisoning. She didn't want to give him medicine for the wrong thing.

She stepped over and looked at him closely. His eyes weren't clear. They looked glazed, just like Shawn's had been. "How do you feel?" she asked him.

He sat up and leaned back on the headboard. He took a sip of water and then placed the glass on the nightstand. "Not so good. My stomach is in knots."

Shawn grimaced. "That's how it started with me." Just then a rumble of thunder could be heard. "Oh man. The storm is getting worse," Shawn said.

"Why don't you go back to your room before you get stuck in here?" Kat said. "I can deal with him."

Shawn looked from her to Taker. "I don't know. He's a hard ass sometimes."

"I'm right here you know," Taker said.

Shawn grinned. "No offense Deadman, but you can be a real pain in the ass, especially when you don't feel good."

Taker rested his head back. "I'll be fine."

"If you say so," Shawn said. "I'll go then. I don't wanna get stuck in here all night. We'd be a tight squeeze." He turned to Kat. "Call me if anything. If his phone doesn't work, use the room phone and ask the clerk to call me."

Kat nodded. "Okay."

Shawn pulled up the hood on his jacket and headed outside. Kat quickly shut the door. The wind had really picked up, and it was blowing rain under the overhang toward the door.

She turned back to Mark. "I'm going to give you some of the medicine." She gave him a spoonful of the liquid medicine and then put it down. She picked up the pill bottle and read the label. "Hmmm you're supposed to take two if you have a fever, but only one if you don't. Do you?"

Mark shrugged. "I don't really know. I feel a little cold actually."

Kat tilted her head in thought. "You don't have chills do you?" He shook his head no. "Get under the blanket," she said.

"Yes nurse," he said wryly.

She shook her head. "Just do it before I start acting like Nurse Ratched."

Taker shook his head with a laugh. "I'm terrified."

"You're a real smartass for someone who's sick."

"I'm pretty good at covering it up."

"We'll see how that goes when it hits you full force like it got Shawn." She picked up the bottle and sat next to him on the bed. "Now do you have a fever or don't you?"

Mark opened his mouth to reply but suddenly grimaced. Kat raised an eyebrow. "Stomach cramp?"

He nodded. "I'm starting to feel like I did before I fell asleep."

She leaned close to him and put her hand against his forehead. He flinched. "Your hand is like ice," he said.

"Sorry," she said, taking her hand away. "Let's try again." She leaned close to him and kissed his forehead like she had done to Shawn. She frowned. "You don't have a fever," she said. "But your skin feels a little clammy." She handed him one of the pills and the water.

"The medicine should take about twenty minutes to start working. Why don't you try to go back to sleep?"

"My stomach is in a vise grip. I don't think I can sleep."

She nodded. She looked at him and then smiled. He looked at her questioningly.

"Shawn was wrong. You're not such a terrible patient."

"It's hard to be terrible when you're at another person's mercy," he said with a half smile.

"Shawn seems to think you're a real pain in the ass," she said with a laugh.

"That's because I am…to Shawn. He always seems to get stuck around me when I'm sick. It's hard to be nice when you're sick and around someone that's always so cheerful. I guess I make things difficult for him."

"And why aren't you being difficult with me?"

"You're not Shawn. You're not driving me crazy." He paused. "That and the Nurse Ratched threat," he added with a half smile.

Kat grinned. "Don't worry Mark. I'll be nice."

"That's good," he said settling down under the blanket. "Shawn was right. You're a pretty decent little nurse."

"I probably should have mentioned that my dad is a doctor."

"That explains a lot," Mark said. He yawned suddenly. "Is that stuff supposed to make me fall asleep?" he asked.

"Yes," she said with a smile. "You'll be out cold in about ten minutes, and completely at my mercy."

"I've suddenly got a bad feeling," he said.

She laughed. "I'm just joking, relax. I'm not going to do anything to you. Go to sleep," she said. "I'm going to go get a soda from the clerk's office."

He yawned again. "Christ, did you double up the dose on me? My eyes feel so heavy."

"Then close them. I'll be back, not that I think you'll be awake to notice." She smiled. A minute later he was fast asleep. Kat stood up and put the room key back in her pocket. She picked up her wallet and pulled some dollar bills out. She was going to get a soda for herself and ginger ale for Mark if they had it in the vending machine.

She pulled her hood up and stepped outside. The rain was still coming down in buckets and now that it was night, the sky was pitch black save for when it was lit by a bolt of lightning. Kat ran to the clerk's office and stepped inside.

"Terrible out there isn't it?" the clerk asked her.

She nodded. "This weather is crazy." She stepped over to the vending machine.

"You're sharing a room with Mr. Calaway aren't you?" he asked.

Kat nodded. "Yea. That's kind of why I came in here. Do you have ginger ale by any chance? It's not marked on the machine."

"I might have some in the back. You sick?"

She shook her head no. "Mr. Calaway is."

The clerk nodded. "I'll go check." He disappeared into a back room, leaving Kat alone. She bought herself a soda from the machine and took a sip of it. She walked over to the clerk's desk. He had a nameplate on it. _If it says Bates I'm heading for the hills, _she thought with a laugh. She picked it up. "E. Danner," she read.

"The E's for Edward," he said coming out of the back room. "Most people call me Ed though."

Kat jumped slightly. She hadn't noticed him come back. "Oh. I'm Kat," she said.

"I know," he said.

"You do?"

"I heard those guys talking about a girl named Kat. Figured it must be you," he said quickly. _Too quickly,_ Kat thought to herself.

"Ohhh."

He handed her the ginger ale. "Here you go. Maybe this'll make him feel better. You know, you and Mr. Calaway don't look like a couple."

"That's because we're not," Kat said. "I'm just sharing the room with him."

"I see," he said, his eyes glinting. "So you're not with him."

"No," she answered slowly. "Why do you ask?"

He shrugged. "Just curious. I figured since you were sharing a room with him, you two must be together."

"Oh. Well I'd better get back to the room…"

"Of course," he said. "Come by and talk to me again if you're not busy," he added with a smile that gave Kat chills.

Kat nodded and gave him a half smile. She quickly headed back outside and started toward Mark's room. _That was definitely creepy,_ she thought to herself. She turned a corner and went right into Edge.

"Whoa!" she said.

"Sorry, I didn't think anybody else would be wandering out in this," he said. "Is Taker alright?"

"He's got food poisoning like Shawn had. He's asleep right now though."

"Come to my room then. You don't wanna bother him. Let him sleep for a while," Edge said.

Kat followed him to his room and went inside. She put her soda and the ginger ale on the table.

"I'm actually glad I ran into you," she said shaking her head and sitting down.

"Yea? Why's that?" he asked sitting opposite her at the table.

"I went into the clerk's office and oh man. I gotta say that guy is really starting to freak me the hell out."

"No kidding," Edge said with a laugh. "He freaks all of us out."

"I'm serious. I introduced myself, and he already knew my name. How creepy is that?" she said shaking her head.

Edge looked at her with raised eyebrows. "You're kidding?"

"I wish. He told me to come back to talk to him if I wasn't busy. He was even asking me if me and Mark were a couple."

Edge laughed. "What did you tell him?"

"I said no."

He shook his head. "You should have said yes. Then he would leave you alone. Now he's gonna think you're single and available," he said with a laugh.

"I am single and available," Kat said. "Just not to him. There's something about that guy that creeps me out."

"I'm gonna make a bet with you that he finds some way to talk to you again."

Kat frowned. "Let's hope not."

"Why were you in there anyway?"

"I wanted a soda, and I wanted to get ginger ale for Mark. Me and my bright ideas."

He shook his head. "You should have made one of us go with you. Bet he wouldn't have said anything."

"I didn't think I needed anyone to come with me. How was I supposed to know he was stalkerish creepy?"

"Umm maybe since he looks like a serial killer?" Edge asked.

Kat laughed. "You've got me there."

"Don't worry, if he starts bothering you, one of us will pretend to be your boyfriend or something. I'll spear him if you want," he said with a grin.

She smiled. "That's okay. I don't think you need to spear him. I might have to take you up on that other part if I run into him again though."

"I'll be happy to play the role of protective boyfriend," he said with a smirk.

Kat rolled her eyes and laughed. "Of course."

"So you don't have an actual boyfriend?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No, I don't."

"Hmm interesting."

She looked at him. "Why is that interesting?"

"Oh, no reason." He looked at her mischievously. "So if I pretend to be your boyfriend, and I scare him off, what do I get out of it?"

"You get the satisfaction of knowing that you helped someone," she said with a grin.

He laughed. He sat there for a minute and then a thought occurred to him. "You know, I ran into you and I forgot the reason I went out in the rain in the first place. I was going to get myself something to drink."

"You're going to the office?"

Edge thought to himself for a minute. "I'm not. You are."

"I'm what?" she asked incredulously. "No way. I'm not going in there with that guy again."

"Hear me out. We'll kill two birds with one stone. You go in and get another soda. Creepy'll strike up a conversation with you again, I'm sure. Then I'll come in, ask what was keeping you, blah blah, and pretend to be your boyfriend. He'll get the message, and he won't bother you."

Kat thought it over. "You know, that's actually not a bad plan Goldilocks. That just might work."

"See," he said. "I'm not a total idiot."

Kat smirked. "Not total, just mostly."

"Be nice or I'll tell the clerk that you like him," he said teasingly.

"Oh God no. I'll be nice."

"Alright then. Come on, let's go."

.

.

**Author's Note:** Thanks for all the reviews! I totally love when you guys make predictions, especially since some of you seem to be reading my mind ;-) This is going to be my last post until after Christmas, so hang in there. (merry xmas to those of you that celebrate btw) The next chapter should be up by Monday at the latest. =) Don't forget to review!


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The two stepped back out into the rain. Edge agreed to wait around the corner for a few minutes. They wanted to be sure that the clerk would start talking to her again.

Kat went back into the office and closed the door. "Hi again," she said.

"Back already," he said giving her a strange smile. "What can I do for you?"

"I came to get another soda," she said.

"More for Mr. Calaway?" he asked.

Kat shook her head. "No, he's asleep. It's not for him."

She stuck a dollar into the vending machine and a soda dropped out.

"Do you want any ice?" he asked her.

Kat saw no sign of Edge so she nodded. "Sure, that would be good."

"So where are you from?" he asked conversationally. "You don't sound southern."

"I'm not," she answered. "I'm from New York."

He nodded. "Makes sense. You ever been down south before?"

"Yea, never through here before though."

"I know that. I'd remember if a girl like you ever turned up here before," he said smiling at her again.

Kat forced a smile back, and stepped closer to the desk to get the bucket of ice he had.

"You know if you ever want a tour of the town, I could always…"

Just then the door opened and Edge walked in. Kat mentally sighed in relief.

He walked over to her with a smile shaking his head. "There you are. I was starting to get worried about you baby."

Kat returned the smile. "You worry too much honey. I told you I'd be right back with the soda."

"I know you did, but it's pretty bad outside. I just wanted to make sure you were okay." He stepped closer to her and wrapped his hand around her waist. He looked at the clerk. "Hi again," he said. "I don't think I've seen you again since we checked in. I'm Adam."

The clerk nodded. "Ed Danner, and I remember. I was just telling her that if she wanted a tour of the town, I could give her one."

"Baby, do you think you'd have time?" Edge asked Kat. "I have to do all my training, and you know I like you with me."

Kat nodded. "You're right. I wouldn't have the time."

Ed's face was reading blank but his eyes read annoyance. "She your manager or something?"

Edge shook his head. "She's my girlfriend, my better half, so to speak," he said with a smile.

"I see," he said. A thought occurred to him. "She's your girlfriend and she's staying with Mr. Calaway?"

Kat thought for a moment the plan had failed but Edge thought quickly. He shook his head. "I had an infection a few days before we got here. The doctor told me it might be contagious, so she's staying with him."

"But you'll be cleared soon won't you honey?" Kat asked sweetly, looking up at him.

Edge smiled and kissed the top of her head. "Of course I will." He turned back to the clerk. "Well it was nice talking to you, but we really should get back to my room."

Ed's face and eyes had both gone totally empty. It looked like he was gritting his teeth.

"Bye," Kat said, waving a hand to him.

The two left the office and headed back to Edge's room. The second they closed the door, they both burst out laughing.

"That was hilarious," Kat laughed. "Baby? He looked so annoyed!"

He grinned. "I know. You made it worse when you called me honey."

"Oh man I thought I was done for when he asked why I was in Mark's room. That was some pretty quick thinking."

"It was a logical excuse. When one of us gets sick, we get put in a room away from the other guys to stop the spread. It's happened to me before." He shrugged. "But I think that guy's gonna have it out for me now. Did you see the look he shot me when I kissed your hair?"

"How could I miss it? If looks could kill, you'd be six feet under by now." She laughed. "That was icing on the cake though."

He grinned. "I'm glad you think so. I was going to kiss you, but I figured that would be overkill. Besides if I had kissed you for real, then you might have backed off in surprise, and that would defeat the purpose."

She laughed. "Very true."

"Or you might have decked me on the spot," he said with a laugh.

"Maybe," she said. "Or maybe not," she added with a smirk.

He raised an eyebrow. "Really now?"

She grinned playfully. "That's for me to know."

"And me to find out?"

She smiled but said nothing. She glanced at the clock. "I'd probably better go check on Mark."

He nodded. "Yea, don't forget the ginger ale," he said handing her the bottle.

Kat stood up from the table and Edge walked with her to the door.

"Thanks for being my pretend boyfriend," she said smiling.

He shook his head. "You don't have to thank me; it was funny as hell ticking that guy off."

She laughed. "That it was. I'll see you tomorrow I guess."

He nodded. "Try not to get hit by lightning _baby_," he said with a grin.

"I won't _honey_," she answered with a wink as she stepped out.

Kat made her way back to Mark's room laughing to herself. Once she got there she quietly went into the room. She didn't want to wake Mark up.

She closed the door behind her and silently crossed the room, setting the ginger ale down on the table. She walked over to the bed and looked at Mark. He looked like he was sleeping peacefully. She guessed the medicine had done its job. She was about to step away when she noticed the pill bottle on the bed next to him.

She shrugged and reached across him to move it. She picked up the bottle and was withdrawing her hand, when all of a sudden he grabbed her wrist.

"Whoa!" she exclaimed.

His eyes opened and he looked at her groggily. He blinked a few times and then, seeing her, released her wrist.

"Sorry about that angel," he said sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "I felt something moving. I guess it was just reflex."

Kat nodded. "You almost gave me a heart attack," she said with a laugh.

He smiled at her and then reached for the water on the nightstand.

"I got you ginger ale," she said, passing him the bottle. "I figured it might be better."

He took a sip and nodded. "Thank you."

"How do you feel?"

"Not too bad," he said. "Not all that great either, but my stomach doesn't feel so horrible anymore."

"That's good. The medicine is working. Hmm do you think you could manage to eat? There's food on the table."

He shrugged. "I don't know how it'll go down, but I'm hungry." He moved to get up and she pushed him back again.

"I'll get it. You relax."

Mark chuckled. "Yes nurse."

She grinned at him and got the food. As luck would have it, she had picked up a container of dumpling soup.

"Here, it's soup, and it's still warm. This shouldn't make you feel sick." She handed it to him with a spoon.

He looked at the soup and stirred it.

"Problem?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No, but the more I look at it, the less I want to eat."

"Then don't look at it, just eat it. You said you were hungry. Don't make me force feed you," she said teasingly.

He laughed. "Somehow I get the feeling that you would." He ate a spoonful.

"You know it," she said with a grin.

"Was I asleep a long time?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Not too long, maybe an hour?"

"You were out getting the soda the whole time?"

She shook her head. "Not exactly. I went to get the soda, and the desk clerk was freaking me out."

"How so?" he asked.

"Well he knew my name, and he was asking me questions. It was just very awkward, and kind of creepy."

Mark laughed. "I told you the man looked like a born serial killer."

"He asked me if we were a couple too," she said.

He raised an eyebrow. "And you said?"

"I said no, that I was just sharing the room with you."

Mark shook his head. "You should have told him yes."

"That's what Adam told me."

"Adam?"

"Yea. When I left the office I ran into him. I went to his room for a while, and I told him about the clerk. He said the same thing, that I should have said yes. He said then the clerk would've left me alone."

"Maybe that boy does have a brain after all," he said with a laugh.

Kat laughed too. "He came up with a little scheme so that the clerk wouldn't bother me."

"Oh?"

She nodded and proceeded to tell Mark about how he had pretended to be her boyfriend.

"That was pretty smart," he said when she was finished. "Let's just hope the clerk's not as crazy as he looks. He might not like Adam too much after that."

Kat nodded. "Yea." Her eyes narrowed. "You're not eating," she said raising an eyebrow.

He pretended to groan. "Oh brother."

"Eat the soup; you'll get even more sick if you don't eat. I wasn't joking about that force feeding thing either," she said.

"Alright alright, I'm eating," he said sticking another spoonful in his mouth.

She grinned. "That's better."

Just then Taker's phone started to ring. They were both startled by the sudden sound.

"It's my phone," he said. "It's on the dresser. Answer it for me. Tell whoever it is I'm not available." He shook his head. "I'm not in the mood to deal with people."

Kat laughed and picked up his phone. "Hello?"

"Hello, is Mr. Calaway there?"

"No, he's not available at the moment. Can I take a message?"

"Yes, this is WWE management. Can you please relay to him that the problem has been fixed? He'll understand what I mean. Tell him that they need to be in Dallas in two days."

"Of course," Kat said. "Anything else?"

"That's it. Have a nice evening."

"Okay then, bye." Kat hung up the phone and went back to Mark. She sat on the edge of the bed next to him.

"Who was it?" he asked.

"Your management apparently. He said to tell you they fixed the problem, and that you guys have to be in Dallas in two days."

"Two days? Hmm, from here to Dallas is about an eight and a half hour drive. We'd have enough time."

"That's good," Kat said yawning. She stretched. "I guess I'm more tired than I thought," she said with a smile.

"You and me both angel," Mark said. "I think I'm just about ready to pass out. You didn't slip anything in the soup did you?"

Kat laughed. "No, don't worry, I didn't slip you anything." She stood up from the bed and grabbed her pajamas. She went into the bathroom and changed. When she came back out, the room was dark except for the table lamp on the nightstand.

She slipped into the other side of the bed. "Goodnight," she said.

"Night," he answered. He flipped off the lamp, and both soon fell asleep.

When Kat woke up the next morning, she found the bed beside her empty. She got up and took a quick shower. She dressed and stepped outside. It was bright and sunny, and the day reflected nothing of the storm that had happened the night before. She didn't see any of the guys outside, so she headed to Shawn's room.

She knocked on the door, but no one answered. She decided to try Randy and John's room. She knocked on their door and John answered it.

"Morning," she said. "Where is everybody?" she asked stepping into the room.

"Taker and Shawn went on some kinda errand. I'm not sure what. Ted, Cody and Adam went to the grocery store to get food for the drive. I think Randy's in the office stocking up on maps. He said he doesn't trust me," John said with a laugh.

"You guys are going soon?" Kat asked.

He nodded. "In about an hour."

Kat sat down on the bed. _So they were leaving,_ she thought. Just then the door opened and Randy walked in.

"I got the maps John," he said. "Oh hi," he said noticing Kat. He sat next to her. "Something wrong?" he asked.

She shook her head. "It's nothing. It's just that you guys are leaving, and I'll be here by myself."

Randy looked at John. "She doesn't know?"

"Taker said she was still asleep when he left," John answered. "So I guess not."

"I don't know what?" Kat asked.

Randy turned back to her. "Shawn and Taker said that since we're leaving and your car's not fixed, that you should come with us. You said you were driving to Texas anyway."

"You're kidding?" she asked.

"No I'm not. Unless you don't want to come with us?" he asked with a grin.

"Of course I'll come with you guys!" she said laughing. "I'm just surprised that you guys don't mind."

"Listen, when Shawn and Taker both agree on an idea we usually go along with it. And besides, you're fun," John said. "None of us shut Randy up like you."

"You'd better zip it before I shut you up permanently John," Randy said.

"Cool it hothead," Kat said with a smile. "What happened to rainbows and butterflies?"

Randy laughed. "He knows I don't mean it, right John?"

"Whatever you say man."

A thought occurred to Kat. "So all of the guys are coming? Isn't it going to be kind of crowded for an eight hour drive in two cars?"

Randy nodded. "It would be, but Ted picked up another rental this morning. Between all our bags, we need the extra space. Him and Cody are probably going to be driving the new rental. Cody always makes Ted crazy when they're together. It cracks me up."

Kat laughed. "Poor Ted."

"Eh, they're well suited," Randy said shrugging. He looked at John. "Did you get all of your stuff and put it in the truck? We're not making any return trips."

Cena nodded. "Yea, I already checked all the drawers for clothes and everything. We're all set. We just have to wait for everybody else to come back."

A few minutes later, Ted knocked on the door. "We got the stuff," he said walking in. Cody and Edge followed behind him.

"Good," Randy said. "Now we just need Shawn and Taker. Where did they go by the way?"

"No idea," John said. "Taker just said they'd be back in a little while."

"Why don't you guys come pick what you want from the stuff we bought and put it in the truck? Ted asked.

John nodded. "Why don't we all go outside? We can give the keys back to the desk clerk." He looked at Kat. "Except you. Keep your key until Taker comes back."

Kat nodded. The guys went to the car Ted had rented and Randy and John pulled out some of the stuff. There were bags of chips, cookies, and trail mix, basic stuff you would eat on a car trip. Randy put it in John's truck and they all headed to the office to return the keys.

Randy opened the door and they all went inside. "We're checking out today," he said stepping up to the clerk. "We're just returning our keys."

"We should get sodas in here," Cody said to the other guys. "The grocery store didn't have any cold ones."

The guys started using the vending machine. Randy was returning the keys. He turned to Kat. "Tell Adam to come over here. He has to sign out from his room."

She nodded and went and got him. "You've gotta sign out."

He nodded and followed her back to the desk. He checked out of his room and handed over his key.

"How's that infection coming?" the clerk asked him.

Randy looked at Edge in confusion. "Infection?"

"Yea he was telling me about it last night, when he came in looking for his girlfriend." The clerk's voice had a curious tone to it.

Randy looked even more confused. "Girlfriend?"

Edge stepped closer to Kat and put his arm around her waist. "It's just about gone," he said to the clerk. "We should be able to share a room again, don't you think baby?" he asked Kat.

Kat smiled, and kept up with the ruse they had started the night before. Randy and the rest of the guys were lost. "I don't see why not," she said smiling at him sweetly.

The clerk nodded. "Well it's been nice having you all here." He looked at Kat. "You're leaving with them I guess?"

She nodded. "I'll give you my key as soon as Mr. Calaway gets back."

"Alright then."

The guys picked up their sodas and they all went outside.

"Would one of you two lovebirds like to tell us what the hell that was about?" Randy asked.

Kat laughed. "The clerk was freaking me out, so Adam pretended to be my boyfriend last night to scare him off. We were just keeping it up."

Edge grinned. "It worked like a charm."

The rest of the guys laughed. "That explains a lot," John said. "When he put his hand around you, I was like why isn't she smacking him?"

Kat laughed. "Makes it look more convincing don't you think?"

Cody nodded. "I think you really ticked that guy off," he said.

"Good," Edge said. "He's freaky as hell."

"You should have said he was bothering you," Randy said to Kat. "I would've given him a message without pretending to be anything."

Kat smiled. "If I ever need someone punted, you'll be the first to know."

Randy smirked. "Good." He looked out toward the parking lot. "I think Shawn and Taker are back."

"We'll go make sure everything's all set," John said. "Why don't you go get all your stuff from Taker's room?"

Kat nodded and went off to the room. She opened the door and found Mark opening and closing drawers.

"Got everything?" she asked.

He jumped slightly. "Sneaking up on me again?" he asked with a smile.

She grinned. "Just a little. Where were you and Shawn?"

"Shawn came with me to the mechanic's. I'm guessing that you already know that you can come with us?"

She nodded.

"And you're coming?"

She nodded again and smiled. "You sure it's okay?"

"Around here, pretty much whatever I say or Shawn says goes. I figured you'd say yes to coming, so me and Shawn went to the mechanic's. I remembered that you said you left your phone in the car."

"So you guys went to get it? That's really nice of you two."

Mark smiled. "I have your phone and your iPod. They're both dead, but you can use the car charger. There was nothing else in the car right?"

She shook her head. "No, that was it."

He nodded. "Good. So are you ready to go?"

"Who am I going with?"

"You can come with me and Shawn," he answered, picking up a duffel bag. "Your bags are already in my truck."

Kat grinned. "Oh goody," she said.

He laughed. "Come on then."

They walked outside and Taker put his bag in the back of the truck. "Give me your room key," he said. He headed to the office and returned a few minutes later. "Alright, we're ready to go."

A minute later, the rest of the guys came into the parking lot. "Everybody all set?" Taker asked.

They all nodded. "Alright. We're all probably gonna get separated on the road. We're supposed to be staying at the Sun View Hotel in Dallas. There should be a room booked for everybody."

Everyone got into their respective cars and they left the parking lot. Ted and Cody were together. John, Randy and Adam were in John's truck, and Shawn and Kat were with Mark.

"By the way," Kat said as they merged onto the highway. "I wanted to say thank you to the two of you for letting me come."

Shawn smiled. "I'm glad you're coming with us. It'll make the trip a lot more interesting."

.

.

**Author's Note:** Hope you guys liked this chapter! I'll have more coming up soon. Don't forget to review. =)


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

The highway was nearly empty, and Mark flew along. He guessed that they'd get there faster than he thought.

Kat was in the front seat with Mark, and Shawn was in the back. Shawn had leaned his seat back a little and had fallen asleep. He had told them that he had trouble sleeping the night before.

Kat found herself yawning.

"Sleepy?" Mark asked.

She nodded. "My eyes are heavy."

"Why don't you take a nap or something?" he asked. "We've still got a long way to go."

She shrugged and closed her eyes. Within ten minutes she was asleep. She was awakened by a hand touching her shoulder.

"Wake up," she heard.

She opened her eyes to find Shawn. They were in a parking lot. She took off her seatbelt. "Where are we?"

"We're about three hours away from Dallas. We stopped for lunch."

"Oh." She hopped out of the truck and stretched. "Where's Mark?"

"He went to get us a table inside."

She nodded and followed Shawn into the restaurant. The air conditioning was on, and the cold air instantly woke her up.

The waitress pointed them to a table in the back. Mark had just sat down. Shawn pulled Kat to sit next to him.

"Is sleeping beauty awake?" Mark asked her with a smile.

She nodded and smiled back. "Yea, I'm up. I can't believe I was asleep so long. Shawn said we're only about three hours away?"

Taker nodded. "You were only asleep for three hours. There was a lot less traffic than I thought. We made good time."

"Still, three hours is a long nap," she said.

"Don't worry," Shawn said. "I was out cold myself."

She laughed. "So I guess we're both sleeping beauties."

They ate their lunch and then headed back to the truck. "If you want to relax Mark, I can drive. It's hard to be in the driver's seat for so long," Kat said as they walked through the parking lot.

Taker shrugged. "If you feel up to it, I don't see why not. I'll just have to tell you which way to go."

She nodded, and he handed her the truck keys. Shawn climbed into the back again and buckled up. Kat slid into the driver's seat and laughed.

"What's so funny?" Mark asked, sitting in the passenger's seat.

"I can't reach," she said laughing again. She adjusted the seat and the steering wheel. "That's better."

"You okay now short stuff?" Mark asked with a grin.

Kat stuck her tongue out at him. "Mean."

Shawn laughed from the back. "Be nice Deadman, before she drives us into a ditch."

Kat laughed. "I wouldn't do that to you Shawn. I dunno about him though," she said giving Mark a mischievous look. She shifted the truck into drive, and got back onto the highway.

"Wouldn't make any difference though," Mark said. "I'm already dead remember?" he said smiling.

"You wanna test that theory?" Shawn asked.

Mark looked at Kat who was smiling at him wickedly. He laughed. "Maybe not."

The car ride was passing pretty quickly. There still wasn't much traffic, and the highway went through some very empty areas. Shawn told Kat that once they got closer to the city, it would get more crowded.

"You'll see," Shawn said. "It's probably as bad as New York City traffic."

Kat shook her head. "I hope not. Rush hour traffic is like my least favorite thing ever."

Shawn laughed. "I should tell you about the time me and Taker got stuck in traffic in L.A."

Taker groaned. "Oh god, don't remind me."

"Why? What happened?" Kat asked.

"Me and Shawn were supposed to be catching a flight. On the way there we ran into some traffic. Apparently there had been an accident on the highway. We sat in a dead stop for three hours before we started moving again."

"That's terrible," Kat said.

"You don't know the half of it," he said.

Shawn laughed. "I had the hiccups, and I couldn't get them to stop. For the whole three hours I was hiccupping. I thought he was going to kill me."

"I was thinking about it," Taker said looking at him over his shoulder.

"You know you like me too much to do that," Shawn said with a grin.

"Whatever you say Shawn."

Shawn laughed. "Why don't you turn on the radio?" he asked. "It'll make the ride faster."

Taker shrugged and turned it on. Country music began floating through the truck. He moved to change the station and Kat caught his hand.

"Leave it," she said. "I like that song."

"You like country music?" he asked.

She nodded. "You sound surprised."

"I've never met a girl from New York that did," he said.

"I like a lot of rock music, but I listen to country too. After all, that's where rock gets its roots." She shrugged. "You can switch it if you guys want, just after this song."

"Leave it," Shawn said. "I happen to like country music."

"No shocker," Kat said with a laugh.

"I like it too, but I like rock more," Taker said.

"Also, no shocker," she said. "You're both from Texas; it doesn't surprise me that you like country music."

He smiled and looked out the window at an approaching sign. "Exit out at the next one," he said. "We're getting there."

The time seemed to pass quickly as they drove along. Before Kat knew it they had reached Dallas. "Which way should I go?" she asked, stopping at a traffic light.

Taker pulled out a sheet of paper from the glove compartment and read it over. He glanced at the street signs. "It's a left, and then straight on for about ten streets."

She nodded and followed his directions. A few minutes later they pulled up outside the hotel. The three of them got out of the truck and Kat handed over the keys to the valet. A bell hop took their bags, and Shawn led the way inside.

He went up to the front, and was greeted by a man at the desk. "Hi there," he said. "I'm checking in for two people. Myself, and another reservation under a Mr. Calaway."

Shawn handed over his license, and the man quickly found their reservations. "You and Mr. Calaway are on the top floor," he said. "Your rooms are right next to each other."

Shawn grinned. "Oh good." He came back over to Kat and Mark. "Well our rooms are right next to each other," he said. "We're all the way up."

Taker nodded. "Alright. You wanna head up? I'm going to wait for the rest of them. John just sent me a message that they should be here soon."

"Yea, I think I'm gonna go up and take a shower. I feel all sticky," Shawn said. He handed Mark an envelope with room keys, and headed toward the elevator.

Kat and Mark sat down in the lobby. "Damn. I left my phone in the truck. I'm gonna go get it from the valet. I'll be right back," he said. Kat nodded and he stood and went to get his phone.

A minute later, she saw John, Randy and Adam walk in. She waved at them.

"Hey," John said. "You guys beat us here."

She nodded. "There wasn't any traffic."

"I'm gonna go get my room key," Edge said.

"I need to pick up a toothbrush in the hotel store. I left mine at the motel," John said shaking his head. He walked off, leaving Kat with Randy.

He sat down next to her and shook his head as he looked at John. "I told him to make sure he didn't leave anything. Idiot," he said with a laugh.

A minute later Edge came back over. "I got my key. I'm heading up to my room. I need to crash for a while."

Randy nodded. "See you later." He turned back to Kat. "I'm going to pick up my key. I'll be back."

She nodded and he went over to the desk. A few minutes later he came back, and he looked angry.

Kat looked up at him. "What's the matter?" she asked.

"That jackass says I have no room reserved for me. He totally recognized me too. I think he lost the reservation on purpose," Randy said, his voice very annoyed.

"That's terrible," Kat said. "Did Janice make your reservation or did management?"

"I have no idea," Randy said. "But Janice won't be here for another day or so. And that guy says they have no available rooms. I guess I'll be sleeping with John."

Kat looked over at the desk and an idea came to her. "Give me a minute. Let me try something." She stood up and went over to the front desk.

The man at the desk had his back turned to her.

"Um excuse me?" Kat asked. He turned around and Kat smiled at him. "Hi, I was wondering, do you have any rooms available? I really need a room, and no other hotel can seem to squeeze me in."

The man smiled back at her. "I'm sure I can find a room for you darlin'. You visiting?"

Kat nodded. "I've never been to Texas before. I've heard some people say that people from here aren't very nice. I can't imagine why. Everyone I've met has been so helpful and nice." She smiled again.

"I've got a nice room available on the top floor. You a wrestling fan?" he asked.

She tilted her head in question.

"There's a wrestling event that's supposed to happen soon. A bunch of wrestlers are staying here. They're all on the top floor."

"Ohhh," Kat said. "That's awesome. I just love the Undertaker. How about you?"

The man nodded. "I agree. Don't care much for some of the other ones though." He paused and looked at the computer screen. "Well I've got your room all booked. Here's your key," he said.

Kat smiled at him again. "Thank you so much."

"You're very welcome, and I hope you enjoy your stay here."

Kat took the key from him and went back over to Randy. She sat down next to him and handed him an envelope.

"Here's your key hot stuff," she said grinning.

Randy looked at her in surprise. "How the hell did you manage that?"

She smirked. "I was super sweet and nice to the man at the desk. I told him I really needed a room, and he was happy to help me out." She shrugged. "I think you were right though. I think he recognizes you and he doesn't like your character. Really stupid though if you ask me, losing a person's reservation over something stupid like that."

Randy shook his head. "I oughta go over there and tell him off." He paused. "But I won't. What matters is you got me my room. Thanks."

Kat smiled. "No problem."

A minute later Mark came back. "I guess you guys got here okay," he said to Randy.

"Yea, Adam went up already, and John's off buying a toothbrush. I'm going to go up now myself, before that dude sees me."

"I'm going up too," Taker said. "Come on," he said to Kat. "And what do you mean before he sees you?" he asked Randy.

Randy quickly told him about what had happened, and Taker shook his head. "Some people are real idiots," he said.

The three of them got into the elevator and went upstairs. Randy got to his room and went in. He said he wanted to relax before dinner. Kat followed Mark down the hallway.

He pulled out a key from his pocket. "Here," he said.

"What's this?" she asked.

"The key to your room," he answered. "It's right next to mine and Shawn's."

"You got me my own room?" she asked. "I'm really going to have to work out how to pay you back for this," she said.

He shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I would have let you stay with me again, but I'll be getting up early. I don't think you'd appreciate a light coming on early in the morning. I know I wouldn't."

She smiled. "Once I get my new ATM and credit cards, I'm paying you back for this Mark."

He smiled at her and said nothing to this. He came to her door and stopped. "Your stuff should be in the room already. We're having dinner in an hour and a half. One of us will probably come knocking."

She nodded and went into the room. He bags were already there. She plopped herself down on the bed. She relaxed for about ten minutes then started putting her clothes in drawers. She emptied out the two bags, and found her cell phone charger, makeup bag, hairbrush, and a bottle of aspirin at the bottom of one.

"So that's where they were," she said. She plugged her phone in, and went to take a shower.

She got dressed quickly, slipping on a pair of jeans with a tank top and a sweater. She put on her flats and went into the bathroom. She brushed her hair and put on a little of her makeup. She looked at the clock and noticed that she still had more than forty five minutes to spare. She remembered seeing a bank across the street from the hotel.

She grabbed her purse and the room key and headed out. She got to the bank, very surprised that it was still open. She wasn't overly surprised though. She had seen quite a few casinos around and it wasn't much of a stretch that a lot of banks were still open late. They probably did good business at night.

She stepped in and went over to the teller. This bank was huge, a lot bigger than the one that had been in the other town.

She explained to the teller that her ATM and credit cards had been stolen and that she needed replacements.

The teller punched something into the computer and a few minutes later came out with a brand new set of cards. She explained to Kat that the cards had new numbers, and that she needed to reset her PIN numbers.

Kat quickly did, and signed the backs of her new cards. She told the teller to link the new cards to her bank accounts, and to unfreeze them. The teller was very friendly and was very glad she could help.

Kat stepped out of the bank and smiled. She had access to her money again. She went back to the hotel, and told the woman at the desk to change the method of payment on her room. She made sure Mark's money was refunded, and that the money was taken from her account.

Once that was done, she went back up to her room and sat down on the bed. A few minutes later there was a knock on the door. She opened it and found John on the other side. He was dressed very casually.

"You ready?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yea. So where are we going exactly?"

"Shawn says he knows this place that's supposed to have the best burgers in Texas. I don't know how true that is, but we're gonna find out."

Kat picked up her purse and followed John downstairs. The rest of the guys were all there. They got into the two trucks and headed out to the restaurant.

The place was a few miles away, and it was on a lonely road. "You sure this is the place?" Randy asked Shawn.

"I'm sure. I know it doesn't look like much, but the food here is amazing."

"Let's hope so," Randy said. "We don't need anybody else getting food poisoning."

"You said it," Taker said from the driver's seat. Shawn was sitting beside him, and Kat and Randy were in the back. The rest of the guys had gone with John in the other truck.

They pulled into the empty parking lot and went inside. The place was almost totally empty, and the waitress placed them at a large table in the very back.

Kat glanced over the menu. There was nothing on it but different kinds of burgers. "I'm guessing this isn't a place for vegetarians is it Shawn?" she asked with a laugh.

Shawn laughed. "No, it isn't."

They all placed their orders and when the food finally came, they were surprised by how good it was.

"I take it back Shawn. These things are amazing!" Randy said.

"How come you never brought us here before?" John asked.

Shawn shrugged. "I don't know. It never occurred to me."

After they finished eating, they went back to the hotel.

"I'm beyond stuffed," Ted said.

"Same here," Cody said. "I think I'm going to turn in early."

"Yea, me too," John said. "Driving for all those hours wore me out."

Edge stretched. "My back feels weird. I think it's from sitting in the same spot for so long. I'm gonna pop an aspirin and head to bed."

Shawn nodded. "Normally I'd say why don't we go walk around a little, but I have to get up early in the morning."

"Management called you?" Taker asked.

Shawn nodded. "I'm set to fight at the taping. I have to show up there early to get it together."

"I think we're all supposed to get up early," John said. "Well, except you Taker."

He nodded. "I'm not in action this week. I think they're trying to build up suspense or something."

"I'm not sure if I'm supposed to get up or not," Randy said. "Janice isn't here and nobody called me."

"Maybe they'll call you a little later," Cody said.

Randy nodded. The rest of the guys headed upstairs leaving Kat, Mark, and Randy in the lobby.

"So what're you going to do?" Randy asked Kat.

She shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe I'll go walk around a little. Either of you two wanna come?"

Randy thought for a minute. "I'm going to run up and try to call Janice and see what's going on. If I don't have to get up early tomorrow, I'll come find you."

Kat nodded and he walked off toward the elevator. "How about you?" she asked. "Wanna come with me?"

Mark shrugged. "Why not?"

The two went walking around through the hotel. The hotel had a casino in it, and quite a few shops. The two went walking past some of the shops, and Kat's eye caught sight of a pretty dress in one of the shop windows.

She stopped to look at it. "That's so pretty," she said.

Mark smiled. "Well I like the color," he said wryly. The dress was black.

Kat laughed. "Of course."

They walked around for about twenty minutes when they were met by Randy. He said that he hadn't been able to get in contact with anyone, so he didn't know whether or not he was supposed to show up.

Taker looked at him. "That's not good. It's strange that Janice isn't answering you."

Randy shook his head. "Don't worry about it."

They continued walking when Taker grabbed his shoulder suddenly. Both Randy and Kat looked at him.

"What's the matter man?" Randy asked.

"I just got this tightening sensation in my shoulder," he said. "Like you know how you can feel a knot forming?"

Randy frowned. "You should go take an aspirin or something before it really knots up."

He nodded. "I'm gonna go do that, and go to sleep. You two going up or are you staying?"

"I'll stay with her," Randy said. "We can wander around for a while."

Kat smiled. "Fine by me."

Taker left Kat and Randy outside one of the stores. He walked off rubbing his shoulder.

"So where to?" Kat asked him.

He shrugged. "We can just walk around." A thought occurred to him suddenly. "You know, Ted told me that he made reservations tomorrow for all of us at some really fancy place. Maybe I'll look for a new shirt."

Kat nodded and they headed into one of the shops. "Want me to help you look?" she asked.

"Go ahead. Let's see what you pick out for me."

The two split up in the store, and joined back together by the dressing room. Randy had picked up two shirts, and Kat had picked up two also.

"I'm gonna try them on," he said. "Sit here, you can give me your opinion. Oh do me a favor, hold onto this for me. I always leave it lying around somewhere." He handed her his cell phone and went into the dressing room with the clothes.

There was a sofa by the dressing room doors by a large mirror. Kat sat down and waited for Randy to come out.

He came out in the first one. This was one he had picked up. It was white with black stitching.

"It's pretty," Kat said.

"Pretty…not the reaction I was looking for," he said with a laugh. He ducked back into the dressing room and came out in another one. This was one she had picked up. It was light grey and black.

"That one's better," she said. "But try on the other ones."

He nodded and went back in. He came out in a dark green shirt. Kat shook her head. "I liked the other one better." He looked in the mirror and nodded. "I agree. I don't know why I picked up green. There's still the last one."

He put on the last one and came back out. This shirt was black with a design stitched over the shoulders in the back. Kat whistled lightly and grinned at him.

"Now that's the reaction I was looking for," Randy said with a smirk.

"You look very nice," she said. "It brings out your eyes."

"Then I'll get this one," he said. He went back into the dressing room and put his own shirt back on. He went and paid for the shirt and the two left the store.

Randy looked at his watch. "You wanna have a drink with me before we go up?"

She shrugged. "Sure, why not."

The two went to a bar on one side of the hotel and sat down. "Let me order," he said.

"Be my guest."

He ordered two drinks, both the same, and the bartender mixed them. Randy handed Kat one, and she took a sip. It was very sweet.

"It's good," she said. "Really sweet."

He nodded. "It's like you're not drinking anything."

A few drinks drinks later, both of them were feeling a little sleepy. Kat had two, and Randy had three or four. They decided to head upstairs. They split up and went to their rooms. Kat fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

.

.

**Author's Note:** Thanks for all the reviews and the compliments. I'm glad you guys like where the story is going. And just for a little tease, there's something big in the next chapter. I'll have it up soon, so hang in there! =)


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Kat was sleeping soundly, but was awakened early in the morning by the sound of a phone ringing. She had forgotten that she had charged her phone. She was used to setting an alarm for herself, and she had forgotten to disable it when she charged it. She instantly jumped up, now wide awake, and went over to her bag.

She shut off the alarm and went to go take a shower. She knew it was no use trying to go back to sleep. The alarm had shaken her awake. Once she was finished taking a shower, she picked up her bag and went downstairs to buy herself coffee.

There was a café downstairs and she sat sipping a large cup. She was surprised when she heard ringing. She opened her bag. It was Randy's phone. She had forgotten that it was there.

She picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Yes, is Mr. Orton there?"

"Can I take a message for him?" Kat asked.

"Yes, this is management. We were trying to reach his manager yesterday, but we weren't able to. He needs to be at the arena with the rest of the wrestlers. Can you please relay this to him?"

"Sure," Kat said, and hung up his phone. _Oh man_, she thought, _Randy's probably fast asleep, and the rest of the guys left already._ She knew that Shawn had said they were leaving very early. She picked up her coffee, went back over to the counter and ordered another large coffee with milk and sugar. She paid and went upstairs to Randy's room.

She knocked on the door but received no answer. "Oh man, he's probably out cold." She thought to herself about what to do, when she saw a housekeeping lady walking down the hallway. A thought occurred to her. "Um excuse me? I just locked myself out of my room, and my husband's in the shower. Could you open the door for me?" she asked sweetly.

"Of course," the woman answered and stuck her key in the door. The door opened.

"Thank you," Kat said, and went into the room. _That was way too easy,_ she thought to herself with a laugh.

The room was dark and it was clear that Randy was still asleep. She set the two coffees down on the dresser. Then she went over to the bed and touched his shoulder. "Randy?" He didn't answer. She shook his shoulder harder. "Randy? Wake up."

He turned and stretched. "What's going on?" he asked sleepily.

"Wake up sunshine," she said. She went over to the window and drew the curtain back a little. It let in a little light, not enough to be blinding, but enough to keep him from falling asleep again.

He sat up and rubbed his eyes. He looked at Kat. "How did you get in here? And why did you wake me up?"

"Your phone just rang. Management says you need to be with the other guys."

He groaned and then caught sight of the clock. "Goddamn it!" he said jumping out of bed. "Oh man, they must've left already."

He went to the closet and started pulling out his clothes. Kat went over to the dresser and picked up the coffee.

"Here," she said.

"Coffee?" he asked. "Thank God. I'm half dead here." He took a few sips. "Alright, these need to come with me, and these I'll wear," he said to himself, looking at the clothes he had pulled out. Then he disappeared into the bathroom.

She heard the faucet running and guessed that he was washing his face. She looked at the clothes. She saw a gym bag on the floor and put his clothes in it, figuring that it would save him some time.

He came back out of the bathroom. "Where's the other clothes?" he asked.

"I put them in your gym bag," she said.

"Thanks," he said. He took another sip of coffee and then picked up his clothes. He went back into the bathroom and came out dressed in workout clothes. "I'd better get moving," he said. "Thanks for getting me up."

"No problem," she answered. She walked with him out of his room, and went back to her own. Randy quickly went downstairs and headed out to the arena.

Kat looked at the clock in the room. Getting him up and out had only taken her fifteen minutes. He probably wouldn't be very late.

She finished her coffee and went downstairs to the convenience shop. She bought a small bottle of shampoo and another one of conditioner. Her hair felt very dry and frizzy. She figured it must be the dry air. She also bought some frizz cream. She put the bottles in her purse and walked around again. She wondered if Mark was awake yet.

She decided to go back to the store she had gone past the night before and look at the dress she had liked. She remembered Randy saying that they were having dinner at a very fancy restaurant, and knew that she didn't have anything with her to wear to such a place.

Kat went into the store and found the dress immediately. She found her size and went and tried it on. She looked in the mirror and smiled.

It was a really pretty dress. It was black, and fitted through the top, which was low cut. Low enough to show off her top, but not enough to be sleazy. The bottom part of the dress floated away very slightly, and there was a slit on the side. The slit had black lace sewn behind it. She loved it. She put it by the cash register and wandered over to the shoe section.

She found a really nice pair of black heels, and tried those on. She was surprised by how comfortable they were, despite the four inch heel. She took those over to the register too. The girl at the counter rang her up, and she left with her new purchases.

She went back up to her room and put the bag in the closet. A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

She opened it. "Hi Mark," she said cheerily, letting him in.

"Morning angel," he said. "I was wondering if you were up yet, and I figured why not knock."

She smiled. "I've been up for a while," she said. "I forgot to turn off my cell alarm, and it went off early. How's your shoulder by the way?"

"It's fine now. I think I slept it off." He shrugged. "Did you and Randy walk around a lot last night?"

"He bought a new shirt, and then we had a few drinks. It was fun."

Mark nodded. "Have you seen him yet?"

Kat nodded. "I had his phone and it rang this morning. It was management. He was supposed to go with the rest of the guys. I went to his room and woke him up."

"I'm surprised he wasn't in a bad mood. Randy's not a morning person," Mark said shaking his head.

Kat laughed. "I woke him up very carefully. Nice and gentle. I don't need to get RKO'd."

Mark laughed. "Very smart."

"I got him coffee too. That might have helped."

"Very very smart," Mark said. "Softening him up with coffee."

She smiled. "Well whatever it was, he wasn't in a bad mood. I think he was just in a hurry."

He nodded. "Understandable. I'm surprised Janice didn't call him though, about needing to be there."

"The guy on the phone said they had been trying to reach her, but they couldn't."

"That's not good. If you hadn't answered the phone, Randy wouldn't have known to go. That really doesn't look good to management, when a superstar doesn't show up when they're supposed to."

Kat nodded. "Well at least he went. I don't think he was very late either. The place isn't far from here is it?"

He shook his head. "It's about a ten minute drive."

"That's good," she said. "So what are you doing today?"

Mark shrugged. "I don't really know. I'm probably going to hit the gym for a while. What about you?"

"Hmmm. Does the hotel have a swimming pool?" she asked.

"Yea, it does. It's on the sixth floor, right next to the gym."

"Oh good. I think I'll be going swimming then. I love the water."

He smiled at her with a trace of mischief. "You didn't seem to love it so much the other day."

She looked at him wryly. "I don't like swimming with my clothes and sneakers on."

He laughed. "I guess nobody would. I'm going to head to the gym. I'll see you later."

He left her room and went to the gym. He started working out. He started with his lower body, and then did core exercises. He was trying to work out without putting strain on his shoulder. He felt fine though, and after a while started to lift weights.

Meanwhile Kat was digging around looking for her bathing suit. She knew she had brought it with her. The house in Georgia had a pool, so she had been sure to pack one when she had first left on the trip.

She found it tangled up in one of her sweaters. She stripped out of her clothes and put it on. Her bathing suit was one piece, and it was black. The top part tied around the neck. She pulled on a cover up and headed to the sixth floor.

She brought her purse with her, and put her iPod and cell phone in it. She figured that if she got tired swimming, she could relax on a chair or something. She found the pool easily. The sixth floor had no guest rooms on it. It had a spa, the pool, a kids' pool and the gym.

The kids' pool was in a separate area on an opposite end of the floor. No children were allowed in the regular pool. As a result of this, the pool was empty. The gym and the pool were separated by a glass wall, and had a door connecting them.

When she went into the pool room, she could see Mark working out in a corner through the glass. She set her bag down on a chair and got a towel from the counter. She spread the towel on the chair and took off her flip flops.

Mark in the meantime had sat up from lifting the weights and was stretching. His shoulder was starting to feel tense again. He knew that if he continued to lift the weights, he might pull the muscle. He stood up from the bench and started doing a shoulder stretch to try to loosen up. He was facing the glass wall and he could see Kat putting her stuff down. Her back was turned to him though.

Kat pulled her hair up into a bun. She wasn't sure if she wanted to get her hair wet. She pulled off the cover up and put it down on the chair. Then she went to the edge of the pool and slipped into the water.

The pool was enormous. It started at three feet and went to six and a half. The pool was big, so the depth changed very gradually. Kat had slipped in at the three foot mark. The water was shallow and she moved toward the deeper side. The pool was heated, and there wasn't a lot of chlorine in the water. She could feel her body relaxing.

"How's the water?" asked a voice from behind her.

Kat turned around in the water to see Mark standing by the edge. He was looking down at her. "It's good," she said looking up. "I thought you were lifting weights?"

"My shoulder's tensing up again. I don't wanna push it."

"Why don't you come swim then?" she asked. "It'll take the pressure off your shoulder."

He nodded. "That's why I was asking about the water. I'll be back," he said.

A few minutes later he came back wearing swimming trunks and a t-shirt. He put his room key on a chair with a towel, took off his shoes and went over to the edge of the water. He kneeled down and Kat swam over to him.

He dipped a hand into the water to test it. "Good, it's warm." Before he knew what was happening, Kat grabbed his hand and pulled him as hard as she could. He fell right into the water still wearing his shirt.

He stood up and saw Kat laughing hysterically. He went over to her. "Payback I guess?" he asked.

She grinned at him. "I couldn't resist. It was too good a chance." She looked up at him. "You're not mad are you?"

He smiled. "I guess I walked right into that. I shouldn't have kneeled next to the edge." He looked around. "Unfortunately for you, there's nobody else here," he said with a grin.

She looked at him. "Uh oh…" She quickly swam away to the deepest part of the water, away from him. She was treading water to stay up. The water here was well over her head. Mark on the other hand, could stand up in it with no problem.

Mark pulled his shirt off and put it down on the floor by the edge of the pool. He swam over to her. "Going somewhere?" he asked.

"I thought you weren't mad?" she asked.

He grinned. "I'm not."

"Then what are you…" Before she could finish, he lifted her up out of the water over his head. "Oh my God, Mark put me down!"

"If that's what you want," he said wickedly, and dropped her in the water. She went under with a splash. Having been dropped from such a height, she sank down all the way to the bottom. _Gives new meaning to the term six feet under,_ she thought as she pushed herself back toward the surface.

Her lungs were burning. She hadn't taken a deep breath before she hit the water, and she was really pushing herself to make it to the top. She surfaced, took a deep breath and started coughing. She was coughing so much that she was struggling to stay afloat. She wanted to hold onto the wall, but she was nowhere near it.

She felt two hands come around her waist, holding her up. She caught her breath and turned to look over her shoulder. "Are you okay angel?" Mark asked looking with her with a touch of concern.

"Trying to kill me?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Of course not." He walked with her to the four foot deep part of the pool and put her down. Her feet now touching the ground, she turned around to face him.

"I'm okay," she said. "I just needed to catch my breath. That would have been fun, if I hadn't gone all the way to the bottom."

He nodded. "Next time I won't drop you from so high," he said with a smile.

"Next time?" she asked smiling and raising her eyebrows.

He grinned mischievously in response. Kat laughed. "You're too much," she said.

"You sure you're okay? I didn't mean for you to start coughing like that."

She nodded. "I'm fine, and I know." She looked over at the deep end of the pool. "I can't believe that you can stand up there. It's like a foot and a half over my head."

He laughed. "I'm tall, I can't exactly help that."

She laughed. "I guess not." She pulled her hair loose. It was wet now, no sense in keeping it tied up. "I thought your shoulder was bothering you. You picked me up pretty easy though."

"You're not very heavy," Mark said. "And my shoulder feels better. Being in the water helped take a lot of the pressure off of it."

She nodded. "That's good." She lay back in the water, floating on her back. "Can you do this?" she asked.

He nodded and did the same. "Even I can float. Water makes things almost weightless."

"I know. I was just wondering. You should do a backstroke or something. It would work out your shoulder. It might loosen it up."

Mark nodded. "I was thinking that myself," he said. "But then you pulled me in, and I got distracted with a revenge plot. Which was pretty funny," he added with a laugh.

She laughed and splashed him. "You should be nice, before I hold your head under."

He stood up and went over to her. He was looking down at her. "You're gonna hold _my_ head under?" he asked. He looked at her wickedly.

Kat moved backwards. "Now Mark…I was only teasing. No need to get any ideas…"

Taker laughed. "So was I. I'm not going to do anything to you."

Kat sighed in relief. "You had me there." She shivered suddenly. She had been in the water for quite a while.

"Cold?" he asked.

She nodded. "I'm going in the hot tub to warm up."

"I'm going to do some laps," he said.

She got out of the pool and went into the hot tub. She pressed the button and soon it was bubbling away. She leaned back and closed her eyes.

She felt a lot warmer already. She could hear Mark doing laps, and the steady sound was making her sleepy. She must have fallen asleep, because the next thing she knew, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Her eyes fluttered open. "Wake up sleeping beauty," Mark said. "Don't you know it's not good to fall asleep in a hot tub?"

Kat stood up and got out. He handed her a towel and she wrapped herself up. "I didn't realize that I was falling asleep," she said. "I guess the water made me tired."

She pulled her cover up over her bathing suit and put her flip flops back on. Her and Mark walked back to their rooms.

"Why don't you get some sleep before we have dinner?" he said as they got to her door. "That reminds me, I don't know if Randy mentioned it to you last night, but dress for dinner."

She nodded. "He did, and I will. I think I'll take your advice about sleeping though. I don't wanna pass out over dinner," she said with a smile.

Kat went into the room and looked at the clock. She would be able to sleep for a few hours. She changed out of her bathing suit and slipped on her pajamas. She would shower once she woke up. She set her phone to ring at the right time, and crawled into the bed.

She fell asleep almost instantly. She slept soundly and woke up feeling refreshed when the alarm went off. She got up and took a hot shower. She washed her hair with the shampoo and conditioner she had bought. After her swim, her hair needed a good wash.

When she was done with her shower she dried off and went out into the bedroom. She put on her bra and panties, and then put on the bathrobe that was hanging in the closet.

She went back into the bathroom and put some of the frizz cream in her hair and then blew it out with the blow dryer and a brush. For the first time in days, she thought her hair looked pretty. There wasn't a single strand out of place.

She found her bag and then went back into the bathroom with her makeup. She put it on very carefully. She glanced at her reflection and smiled. She went back out into the bedroom and pulled her new dress and shoes out of the closet. She was about to take off the robe and put them on when there was a knock at the door. She opened it and found Randy on the other side.

"Sorry," he said. "You're not done yet," he said looking at the robe she was wearing.

He was only half dressed himself, wearing only his pants and shoes. He was holding his shirt in his hands. She let him into the room, then looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Something wrong?" she asked with a smile. "Or do you just enjoy making me trip by walking around shirtless?"

He stepped into the room and sat on the bed. "Both," he answered with a smirk.

Kat shook her head. "What's the matter?"

"The iron in my room isn't working, and my shirt's wrinkled. I wanted to see if yours was working."

"Let me see." Kat went over to the closet and pulled out the iron. She plugged it in and a minute later it was hot. "Give me your shirt," she said. "I'll iron it."

He handed it to her and she quickly smoothed it out. "There you go," she said giving it back to him.

He pulled it on and buttoned it. "What do you think?" he asked taking a step back.

She laughed. "Randy, you already know you look gorgeous. Why are you asking?"

He grinned. "Just like hearing someone say it."

She shook her head with a smile. "You really are too much," she said.

"I know. But thanks for ironing my shirt for me. Janice doesn't even do that for me."

"No?"

"She says it's not part of her job. I'm not really sure what her job is, aside from driving me out of my mind."

She laughed. "I'm surprised she doesn't try to help you out though. Her job can't be that time consuming. That's too bad."

Randy looked like he was going over something in his mind, debating with himself. "Can I ask you something? I've been thinking about this for a while, and I want to see what you think."

"Shoot."

"Is there any chance that you would be interested in being my manager?" he asked.

"What?" Kat asked. She wasn't sure if she heard him right.

"Would you like to be my manager?" he asked again. "I know it's completely out of left field, but hear me out. First, you're obviously intelligent, which is a major plus in a manager. Second, you were able to get my room booked without any questions. Third, you're friendly, which is also extremely helpful when you need to talk to people to do bookings. And finally and most important, you don't make me crazy and I get along with you. What do you think?"

"You want me to manage you?" Kat asked. "What exactly does a manager do?"

"A manager books hotels, sets up places for autograph signings, makes sure I am where I need to be on time, etc. Basically my manager has to keep things running smoothly."

"And that's it?"

"Pretty much. That's the basics."

Kat thought it over. A chance to manage a WWE superstar? And Randy Orton no less! How could she pass it up? She could always quit if she thought it was too much for her, but she figured she could deal with it. Besides, she got along pretty well with Randy.

She smiled. "Yes."

"Yes? As in yes you'll do it?"

She nodded. "I'll be your manager Randy. You just might have to give me some pointers."

"You're serious? You'll do it?"

"Totally. I'd love to."

"Oh my God," Randy said. "This means I'm finally rid of Janice!" He hopped up with a grin and Kat stood up laughing.

"You have no idea how happy I am right now," he said. He picked her up off the floor and spun her around in a hug.

She laughed when he put her down. "I can see that," she said. "I should probably get dressed now though. The rest of the guys are probably waiting."

Randy glanced at the clock. "Oh yea! I forgot," he said with a grin. "I can't wait to tell the guys." He paused for a moment. "Oh man, wait a minute. Before I tell them anything I have to call Vince, and clear this with him. Let me use your phone," he said.

Randy took her cell phone and sat back down on the bed. He called up Mr. McMahon, who quickly answered the phone.

"Hey Vince," Randy said.

"Randy," Mr. McMahon said. "What're you up to? You guys all in Dallas already?"

"Yea we got here yesterday. But listen, that's not why I'm calling. Vince do you remember that you told me if I could find a new manager you'd get rid of Janice?"

"Yes, I remember."

"Well, I found one."

"You're serious? Who is it?"

"Her name's Kat Taylor and she's from New York. She's already met the other guys, and they get along great with her. She's smart, friendly, and she's not afraid to get tough. I really think she's perfect for this. What do you say?"

"I'll have to run background on her, as always. But if she's everything you say and she agrees, then that's alright with me. I'm expecting nothing but the best. She knows all the things she has to do as your manager?"

"Yea, I just filled her in on the basics. She says she's good to go. In fact, she got me my room here. The hotel lost my reservation and she got me a new room in five minutes."

"Good," McMahon answered. "Have her forward all contact info to my office as soon as possible. I'll have the background check results by the end of the day tomorrow."

"Great," Randy said. "Thanks a lot Vince."

"I'm glad you finally found one that you seem happy about Randy. It does me no good to have an unhappy superstar. By the way, you said she's met some of the other guys?"

"Yea, she gets along well with them, even Taker."

"I don't think we'll have any problems then. Taker's a good judge of character. If he's alright with her, then I don't see any difficulties. I'll let you know about the check tomorrow. If she passes it'll be official. But for right now, she's unofficially your new manager."

"Thanks," Randy said as he hung up the phone. He turned back to Kat.

"I guess that went well?" she asked, noting the grin on his face.

"He said he's going to have a background check run on you. And that he wants you to send all your contact info to his office. But the bottom line is, he agreed. You're my new manager."

"Awesome!" she said smiling. "Let me just send my info to him. He can't run a check on me without it." She quickly accessed a word program on her phone, and typed out all her info. She had Randy forward it to Mr. McMahon's office, and a minute later, she got a message saying that her info had been received by his secretary.

"Let's go downstairs and tell the guys," Randy said. "I'm sure they'll be as happy as I am."

"Hold it hot stuff," she said laughing. "I'm not going down there in a bathrobe."

"Sorry," he said with a laugh, sitting down on the bed to wait for her. "I forgot."

Kat took the bag with her clothes and shoes into the bathroom. She pulled on the dress and slipped on the shoes. She needed help with the dress though. She walked back out into the bedroom.

"Randy, can you please zip me up?" she asked walking over to him.

He stood up. "Sure." He zipped up her dress and she turned around.

"My turn," she said teasingly. "What do you think?"

He looked her over and smirked. "You're the one that's going to be tripping people. You look…wow."

She laughed. "Thanks. We can go now." The two went downstairs to the lobby. Ted, Cody and John were already there waiting.

They stood up when they saw Kat and Randy.

"Wow," John said looking at Kat. "That is some hell of a dress."

"You said it," Ted said.

"You look pretty," Cody said.

Kat smiled. "Thanks guys, you all look really nice too." All three were wearing button shirts with dark pants. They all looked very nice. Ted was wearing light grey, John was wearing blue, and Cody was wearing a black shirt with a green design.

A few minutes later Shawn came down. He was wearing a very light blue shirt. It brought out his eyes, Kat noticed.

"You look nice in that color Shawn," Kat said.

"Thanks doll," he said. "That dress is really something," he said looking at her.

She laughed and thanked him. A moment later Edge and Taker came down. Edge was wearing a black shirt with a red design, and Taker was wearing solid black.

"Hi all," Edge said coming over. He looked at Kat and whistled teasingly. "Very pretty."

She smiled. "Your shirt's pretty too. I like the red roses."

"I notice I'm the only one man enough to wear flowers," he said looking at the other guys.

"Man enough? You keep telling yourself that," Randy said with a grin.

Taker looked at Kat. "Isn't that the dress you saw last night?"

She nodded with a grin. "I got my credit cards back and I couldn't help it. I fell in love with it."

"I can see why," he said smiling at her and she smiled back.

"Alright everybody, let's go," John said.

Kat, Randy, and Shawn went with Mark. Kat sat next to Randy in the back again. "I'm gonna tell them over dinner," Randy whispered to her. "I can't wait to see their faces."

Kat grinned. "Me either."

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**Author's Note:** Thanks for all the reviews, and I hope you guys liked this chapter! {Kudos to all the readers who predicted this would happen ;-) } Happy New Year! =)


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The group got to the restaurant. The place was very nice, and they were seated in a private room in the back.

"I hope the food is good here," Ted said. "I've heard a lot of good things though, that's why I booked it."

"There's always Chinese if it sucks," Cody said with a laugh.

They ordered drinks and made their selections for dinner. The waiter returned quickly with their drinks.

"So you got your cards back?" Shawn asked.

"Yea," Kat said. "I went to the bank this morning, and the teller gave me replacements."

"That's good," Shawn said. "But I thought you were going to sleep in?"

"I was, but my alarm went off, so I got up and went to get coffee."

"And thank God she got up early," Randy said. "I told you guys about what happened."

Ted nodded. "You saved his ass from a reprimand from management," he said to Kat. "And Lord knows he doesn't need any of those."

"Speaking of management," Randy said with a smile, "what would you guys say if I told you Janice wasn't my manager anymore?"

"You're kidding?" Cody said.

"Don't mess with our hopes Randy," Ted said. "The day that happens I think we're all gonna do back flips."

"You said it," Shawn added.

"Then start doing back flips," Randy said, "cuz she's not my manager anymore."

"You're serious?" Edge asked. "But I thought you couldn't get rid of her unless you found a replacement."

"I did find a replacement," Randy said with a mischievous smile.

"You didn't hire some hooker or something to pretend to be your manager did you?" John asked with a laugh. "Cuz you know McMahon'll be pissed."

"I didn't," Randy said.

"Let's hope we're all able to get along with this one," Taker said. "Of course, whoever it is has to be able to deal with you and all your nonsense."

"I think you'll all get along just fine," Randy said with a smirk. "And she's got no problems dealing with me."

"Wait a minute," John said, "do we know her?"

Rand grinned in response.

"Well whoever it is, you already know Vince'll want me to give them the once over. The one before Janice was nervous when she met me, and Vince wouldn't hire her. He said they have to be able to deal with anyone. If they're scared of me, there's no way in hell they can deal with you," Taker said.

"Don't worry," Kat said looking at Mark, "I'm not."

The rest of the table turned to her. "What did you say?" Taker asked.

"I said don't worry I'm not. As in I'm not afraid of you." She gave him a mischievous smile.

"Wait a minute now, hold the phone! You're Randy's new manager?" John asked.

She grinned. "That's right."

"Oh my God!" John exclaimed. "That's crazy."

"You two are serious?" Edge asked. "She really is your new manager Randy?"

Randy nodded. "I even cleared it with Vince. All that she has to do now is pass the background check. And that shouldn't be too hard."

Kat smiled. "He's serious. I really am his new manager."

"That's great," Cody said. "No more Janice!"

Kat laughed. "Wow, you guys look so happy."

"Trust me doll, you don't know the half of it," Shawn said with a smile.

"You sure you can deal with him?" Ted asked Kat. "Randy's a real pain in the ass sometimes."

"I don't think I'll have any trouble straightening him out," she said giving Randy a wicked smile.

He grinned back at her. "I'm so happy to be rid of Janice, I'll do anything you say."

The guys laughed. "I don't think I've ever heard Randy say that before," John said.

"Don't worry," Ted said. "If Randy decides to be a pain in the ass, just let all of us know. We'll help you fix him."

"Strength in numbers?" Kat asked.

Ted nodded with a smile. "Exactly."

"I'll keep that in mind Teddy," she said. "But for now I don't see any problems. All I really need is for you guys to show me what I need to do."

"That shouldn't be so hard," Shawn said. "I can show you. I've been managing myself a long time. I'll show you all the things you have to do. A lot of is it relaying information between management."

"The rest is setting things up, like hotel bookings and signings," he added.

"I'm just glad I won't ever have a crazy woman yelling at me again," Randy said.

Kat looked at him. "Says who?"

"Well since Janice is gone, nobody's gonna be screaming at me," he said.

Kat smiled at him. "If you're not a pain in the ass, you won't have anyone screaming at you. But if you are, you'd better watch out. I can be pretty mean."

"Remember her and the lady at the diner? Oh man, Randy you better watch your back," Cody said with a laugh.

Randy looked at Kat. "I think I just traded one devil for another," he said with a laugh.

"Least this one's pretty," Shawn said with a smile.

Randy grinned. "That she is," he said. "A lot more than Janice."

Kat shook her head and smiled at him. "No worries Randy, you'll be tripping a lot more people than me."

He laughed. "You know something, I feel better already. It's like I never had to deal with Janice in the first place."

The waiter came over with their dinner, and left the room. The guys looked at their plates, and all eyes turned to Ted.

"Don't look at me like that," Ted said. "How was I supposed to know the portions were this small?"

"For the price on the menu, this plate should be full," Shawn said. "Not some bite sized piece in the center of the plate."

They all ate their food, and opted out of dessert. They figured it would be just as small. Ted paid the bill, and they went back to the hotel.

They got out of the trucks and stood outside the hotel.

"I'm still hungry," Cody said shaking his head.

"Me too," Edge said. "That dinner did nothing."

"I think I saw an ice cream place down the street," John said. "We could go get ice cream."

"Sounds good to me," Shawn said.

Taker nodded. "Let's go."

The group walked down the street and easily found the ice cream parlor. It was very retro, with booths and a counter for ice cream floats. There was no one else in the shop.

"You guys wanna sit? Or do you wanna get it and walk around?" John asked.

"We can walk," Kat said. "It's a warm night. And ice cream is on me," she added. "You guys have spent enough."

Randy opened his mouth to say something, but was silenced by a look from Kat. "I've got this."

He shrugged, and they all ordered their ice cream. The shop had all the basic flavors, but it also had quite a few unique ones. Kat paid, and they all went outside. They started walking down the street, eating.

Kat and Randy were walking side by side. He was running through some of the things she would have to do. She told him she thought she could handle it, but that if she got confused, she would be sure to ask him.

"I'm glad you were willing to try with me," Randy said with a smile.

She smiled back at him. "I'm glad you asked me. Anyway, how's your ice cream?"

"It's good," he answered. "I got cookie dough flavored. I don't know why, I usually don't go for that. You got one of those weird flavors didn't you?"

She laughed. "It's guava, and it's actually really good. It's one of my favorite fruits. I never knew they made it as an ice cream flavor though."

He looked at it. "Mind if I taste?"

She shook her head and handed it to him. He took a lick and nodded. "It's really good. I actually like it."

Kat smiled. "That's why you should try things out of the box."

He took another lick and then gave it back to her. "I think the hotel has guava juice. I'm gonna have it with my breakfast tomorrow."

She grinned. "I converted you to a guava lover. Yay, I'm not the only one."

He laughed and then tapped John on the shoulder. John was walking side by side with Edge. They were talking about something that had happened at the arena earlier in the day. "What did you get?" Randy asked him.

"What?" John asked, turning.

"What flavor did you get?"

"Oh! I got coffee flavored."

Kat grinned at him. "That's one of my favorites."

John nodded. "Mine too. It's probably a lot more fattening than coffee though, but who cares. We hardly ate anything for dinner."

"I'm never gonna hear the end of that am I?" Ted asked.

"Nope," Cody answered with a grin.

They walked down the street a little further and came to an open area with a large fountain in the center.

There was a long bed of roses planted against a wall behind the fountain. Kat wandered over to it to look at the roses. The guys sat on the edge of the fountain eating their ice cream.

"So do you know if Vince has gotten in contact with Janice yet?" Shawn asked Randy.

"No idea," Randy said. "But I'm sure that's going to be a very interesting conversation."

Shawn laughed. "I'd love to see it."

"Me too," Randy said with a laugh.

"I'm glad you asked her," Shawn said looking over at Kat. "She's like night and day from Janice."

"I know," Randy said. "I just hope she's able to deal with all this."

"She's a pretty tough cookie," Shawn said. "I think she will be."

Kat was still over by the roses. She finished her ice cream and threw away her tissue. There was a trash can a few feet away from where she was standing. She heard someone walking over. It was Mark. He threw away his tissue and then stepped over to her.

She turned and looked at him. "Something wrong?" she asked.

He looked at her quizzically.

"You haven't said three words since Randy said I was his new manager. Is something wrong?"

He shook his head. "I'm just wondering if you'll be able to deal with Randy. He might not seem like too much trouble, but he goes through managers like you wouldn't believe."

"If I can deal with thirty four children in a New York City public school, then I can deal with Randy. Don't worry about it. I'll be fine. And if I'm not, I'll ask for help." She shrugged.

He nodded and looked like he was thinking. "Randy's nonsense aside, I think you stand a better chance with him than some of the other ones did."

"Yea? Why's that?"

"For starters, Randy asked you himself. That doesn't sound like much, but all his other managers were picked by either Vince or management. He didn't have any say in it."

"That couldn't have been fun, not being able to pick out the person that's managing you."

He nodded. "The fact that Randy asked you is a good sign. That's really saying something when it comes to him. He has a lot of problems with management."

"I probably would too, if I got stuck with someone I didn't like."

He nodded again. "It'll do him good to have someone that he gets along with managing him. And of course it doesn't hurt that you get along with all of us."

Kat smiled. "I don't see how anyone could not get along with you guys."

"You'd be surprised. All of us have had at least one problem with one of Randy's managers."

"I noticed that Shawn really didn't like Janice. I mean none of the guys really do, but Shawn especially."

"There's a reason for it. Shawn and Randy were practicing one day and Shawn was doing some move on him. I don't really know what happened, but Shawn did something, and Randy ended up hurting his wrist. He went to the trainer to get it wrapped, and Janice found out. She found Shawn and started screaming and yelling and carrying on. Shawn's hated her ever since."

"You're kidding? That's terrible. Poor Shawn."

"We were all there. I think that's what made it worse. I mean, that's so much disrespect. Randy was really angry when he found out."

"I can't believe she was yelling like that. I can't imagine yelling at someone like Shawn, or any of the guys."

"Janice knew nothing about wrestling. That happened right when she started with us. Vince hired her mostly because she knew nothing about wrestling. He wanted someone that could detach themselves, someone that wouldn't be affected by being a fan."

"So she didn't know who Shawn was and she started screaming at him. No wonder Shawn doesn't like her."

Mark nodded. "I think that you've got a better chance at this. I just hope Randy doesn't make you crazy."

"I've got a few tricks of my own," she answered with a grin.

Shawn walked over to the two of them. "And what're you two talking about?" he asked.

"Me being Randy's manager," Kat answered.

"Ohhhh," Shawn said. "I'm happy for Randy, and I'm happy that this means you're going to be with us from now on."

Kat smiled. "I am too."

Randy walked over. "Hey, we should probably get back. We all have to be up early tomorrow."

They all headed back to the hotel and went to their rooms. Kat stopped Randy. "What time do you have to be up tomorrow?" she asked him.

"Around seven," he answered. "You have to come to the arena too, so I can introduce you to everyone. You're gonna have to meet the lady from wardrobe who makes my ring gear, the trainers, plus the guy that gives us our lines and stuff. There's a bunch of other people too. You don't have to show up until later though. You don't have to get up really early unless you want to."

"Okay," she said. "I'll see you tomorrow." Kat went into her room and changed into her pajamas. She washed off her makeup and sat down on the bed. She decided that she would get up early and go with the guys. She wanted to get a head start on things, to get a feel for her new job. She set her alarm for six fifteen. That would give her enough time to take a shower and have breakfast.

She climbed into bed and fell asleep. She woke up with the alarm the next morning, and jumped into the shower. She got dressed and fixed her hair and makeup. It was her first day meeting everyone else, so she wanted to look nice. She wore a skirt with a tank top, and a short sleeved sweater over it. She slipped on her black flats and went downstairs to have breakfast. She ate a bagel with her coffee and looked at her watch.

It was almost seven, so she decided she would bring Randy something to eat for breakfast. She went over to the counter and ordered him a bagel. She was about to get him orange juice when she saw guava, so she ordered that instead. She picked it up and went to his room. It was five after seven when she knocked on his door.

He answered it, looking like he had just rolled out of bed. "Morning," he said. "You're up?"

"I figured I'd come with you guys, and get a head start on things. I brought you breakfast by the way," she said stepping into the room.

She handed him the bag with the bagel and then the juice.

"What's this?" he asked, looking at the juice.

"Guava juice," she said with a smile.

He smiled and took a sip. "I gotta say, this is a much nicer greeting in the morning than Janice yelling at me to hurry up."

Kat smiled. "Eat your breakfast," she said raising an eyebrow.

He smiled. "Yes mommy," he said mockingly.

She grinned and pinched his cheek. "Aren't you a cute baby? Now eat your breakfast."

Randy laughed and started to eat.

"So are you ready for your first day?" he asked her.

She nodded. "I think so. I might be attached to you for a while until I get the hang of things."

"That's fine. I'll show you everything you need to do today. You can tail me until you get comfortable. I don't think you'll feel too out of place though. The rest of the guys'll be there too."

"You know, I'm curious. None of the other guys have a manager. How come you do?"

"I'll be honest. I'm really bad at keeping track of time and schedules. If I don't have a personal manager I miss all kinds of things. I need someone making sure that I know what I'm supposed to be doing. We all get managed by the company, but some of us need more than just phone calls about dates and stuff.

Shawn and Taker have been doing this so long that they don't need personal managers. Ted and Cody look out for each other. Cody's good with dates, and Ted's good with time management. They balance out. Adam just got rid of his last manager a few weeks ago. He hasn't gotten a replacement yet, so he's been using a program on his phone to keep up with things. And John is really organized. He's terrible with directions, but totally on top of things that need to get done.

I, on the other hand, suck at remembering things. Before Vince hired Janice, I was in between managers. I was doing it myself and it was a total disaster. I missed a taping and an autograph signing. So Vince hired Janice as fast as he could."

Kat nodded. "I get it now. Basically what you need is someone to make sure that you are where you need to be."

Randy nodded. "Exactly. The company will start sending you emails and messages about my schedule. Messages like where our next show is, places I need to be, dates, times, etc. What I need the most from you is to organize that, and keep me on track. Janice was able to do all that, but she took it way too seriously. She kept serious tabs on me, and it drove me crazy."

"I understand. You want me to keep you organized without boxing you in. Don't worry, I'm not gonna call you every hour of the day."

"Thank God for that," he said, finishing up his breakfast. "I'm going to take a quick shower. I'll meet you downstairs with the rest of the guys."

She nodded. "Drink your juice," she said as she walked toward the door.

"Yes mommy," he said again with a laugh.

Kat left the room and Randy went to take a shower. _This is working out better than I thought it would, _he thought to himself. _Now I just have to see how things go at the arena._

Kat went downstairs to get herself another cup of coffee and ran into Mark. She was surprised to see him.

"Morning," he said.

"Morning. You're up early," she said.

"I have to check in with one of the trainers. I mentioned to him that my shoulder was bothering me, and he wants to check it out before I'm scheduled to wrestle again. But you're up early too."

"I'm going with the guys to the arena. I want to really jump into this."

He nodded and took a sip of his coffee. "I'm glad you're taking this seriously."

"I know I come off as really playful, but I can be drop dead serious too. I hope everything goes okay today."

"I don't see why it wouldn't. Randy'll show you everything you need to do, and if you get confused just ask one of the guys for help. Shawn said he'd be happy to show you the ropes."

She nodded. They sat drinking their coffee for a while, and were met by Shawn.

"Good morning," he said brightly.

"I see someone doubled up on the sugar in their coffee this morning," Taker said wryly.

Shawn grinned. "Actually I haven't had any coffee."

Taker shook his head. "Sometimes I wonder about you Shawn."

Shawn laughed. He turned to Kat. "The rest of the guys are in the lobby. Randy asked me to come get you."

"Okay," she said getting up.

"I'll be coming in a while," Taker said. He turned to Shawn. "Vince said he mailed something overnight express. I have to pick it up. I'll see you guys later."

Shawn nodded, and he and Kat went out to the lobby. They were met by the other guys. Ted, Cody and John went in the rental car. Randy, Shawn, Kat and Edge took one of the trucks. They left the other one for Taker.

Randy parked the car and they all went inside. The arena was buzzing with people. The other guys walked off, leaving Kat with Randy.

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**Author's Note**: Hope you liked this chapter! Sorry it took me so long to get it up. I've been sick, and me plus cold meds do not equal any form of good writing. But I'm feeling better now, so I'll have the next one up soon. Don't forget to review! =)

******btw Kat's going to start meeting some other wrestlers (& divas) in the next chapter. So, if you've got someone you want me to toss into the mix, put them in your review or pm me with a request and I'll do my best with it. I'm also happy to hear ideas on if you want said wrestler to be nice or mean to her, but no guarantees =)


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